ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38171
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 October 1996 |
| Time: | 04:26 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II |
| Owner/operator: | Airpac Airlines Inc. |
| Registration: | N666HL |
| MSN: | 34-7770235 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12301 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-360-EB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Cle Elum, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Spokane, WA (KGEG) |
| Seattle, WA (KBFI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot went to a doctor 6 hours before reporting to fly, and was diagnosed with gastritis, reflux symptoms, and fatigue. Just before taking off on the accident flight, the pilot complained to a fellow company pilot that he felt ill, expressing fear of repercussions from his company if he grounded himself. A few minutes before disappearing from contact with air traffic control, he radioed the fellow pilot (who was in another company aircraft on the same route): 'I don't feel so good...I feel like I'm going to toss my cookies.' The aircraft wreckage was located about 11 hours after the disappearance, with the pilot fatally injured inside. Wreckage distribution at the accident site was indicative of inflight separation of the right wing and horizontal stabilator. Subsequent examination indicated that the wing and stabilator separations were a result of overstress. No evidence of mechanical problems was noted, other than the separated wing and stabilator. In constructing a history of the pilot's activities before the accident, investigators found that his activities for the two days before the accident (during a rest period) were on a schedule inconsistent with his night air cargo duties.
Probable Cause: The pilot's physical impairment of judgment and performance, his decision to fly while impaired, and his subsequent failure to maintain control of the aircraft which led to the aircraft's design stress limits being exceeded and inflight separation of the horizontal stabiliator and right wing. Contributing to the accident were: pilot fatigue and self-induced pressure to fly.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA97FA006
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Nov-2015 10:28 | JINX | Updated [Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 13-Oct-2017 18:29 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Damage] |
| 08-Apr-2024 18:40 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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