ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44893
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| Date: | Sunday 4 April 2004 |
| Time: | 08:10 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP |
| Owner/operator: | Gypsy Flyer Inc |
| Registration: | N4130D |
| MSN: | 3257059 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 522 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Ukiah, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ukiah Airport, CA (UKI/KUKI) |
| Willows-Glenn County Airport, CA (WLW/KWLW) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 4, 2004, about 0810 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga SP II, N4130D, experienced an in-flight collision with terrain about 2 minutes after departing from the Ukiah Municipal Airport, Ukiah, California. Gypsy Flyer, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The personal cross-country flight was en route to Willows, California. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The primary wreckage was at 39 degrees 07.34 minutes north latitude and 123 degrees 11.605 minutes west longitude.
The non-instrument rated private pilot attempted to depart an airport in instrument meteorological conditions. Prior to departure, the pilot talked to another, airborne pilot in the area, and confirmed the airport's reported conditions of an overcast layer at 100 feet above ground level (agl). The accident pilot indicated to the other pilot that he intended to depart VFR. Several witnesses reported that they observed the airplane departing to the south. It then turned toward the west at low level and subsequently turned back to the east. They further noted that the engine sound remained constant, continuing until the sound of a loud crash. The airplane contacted vegetation just prior to colliding with the ground, and the debris path continued along a southerly heading. Investigators examined the extensively crushed and fragmented wreckage, and identified no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had logged about 7 hours of simulated instrument time.
Probable Cause: The non-instrument rated pilot's flight intentional flight into instrument meteorological conditions during takeoff-initial climb, which resulted in spatial disorientation, a subsequent loss of aircraft control, and an uncontrolled descent into terrain. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of an instrument rating and a low ceiling.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040409X00441&key=1
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 17:53 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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