# Accident 19980603012099A: Piper PA28181, Dalton, MA, June 3, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 3, 1998, 10:42 local time - Place: Dalton, MA - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Normal Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.4737° N, 73.1662° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Dalton, MA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.4737&lon=-73.1662&mi=10 - Aircraft: N75137, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N75137-2007-11-27) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181 - Reported engine: LYC O360A4M - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 3 - Pilot flight hours: 350 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA124) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980603012099A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT BROKE IN FLIGHT, SPUN IN, AND CRASHED, ALL 3 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED. DALTON, MA.(.4) BEFORE DEPARTURE, THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED, PILOT RATED PASSENGER RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS. DURING THE FIRST BRIEFINGS SHE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE SECOND BRIEFING SHE DID NOT COMPLETE, EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE WEATHER. SHE THEN BRIEFED HER FATHER, WHO WAS ALSO A NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ABOUT THE WEATHER, ADDING SHE DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE CONDITIONS. THE FATHER THEN CALLED BRIDGEPORT AFSS, AND REQUESTED THE CLOUD TOPS. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED, AND THE PILOT REQUESTED RADAR TRAFFIC ADVISORIES FROM APPROACH CONTROL. THE LAST 37 SECONDS OF RADAR BEACON DATA REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE TURNED LEFT APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES AND DESCENDED FROM 6,500 FEET MSL TO 5,600 FEET MSL. THE AIRPLANE THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AND THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED. THE PILOT HAD A TOTAL OF 350.0 HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, AND THE PILOT RATED PASSENGER HAD A TOTAL OF 90.2 HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, ANOTHER PILOT IN THE AREA REPORTED IMC CONDITIONS FROM 6,000 FEET MSL TO 8,000 FEET MSL AND MODERATE TURBULENCE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO STRUCTURAL FAILURES FROM FATIGUE. (-23) EYEWITNESSES OBSERVED AIRCRAFT BREAKING APART IN FLIGHT. A WING (RT) WAS OBSERVED SEPARATING FROM AIRCRAFT, AIRCRAFT SPIRALED TO GROUND, IMPACTING AN AREA APPROXIMATELY 2000'MSL. THE RIGHT WING WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE EAST OF CRASH SITE ALONG WITH THE LEFT SIDE STABILATOR AND AIRCRAFT DEBRIS. ALL THREE OCCUPANTS WERE KILLED ON IMPACT. EVIDENCE INDICATES WTHE AIRCRAFT CRASHED NOSE DOWN, IN A SPIRAL. (.19) ON JUNE 3, 1998, AT 1042 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-28-181, N75137, OPERATED BY OCONTO BLUE SKIES INC. (A FLYING CLUB) WAS DESTROYED AFTER THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED AND SUBSEQUENT IMPACT WITH TERRAIN NEAR DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, A PILOT RATED PASSENGER, AND A PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM NORWOOD MEMORIAL AIRPORT (OWD), NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, DESTINED FOR NIAGARA FALLS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (IAG), NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND AC TIVATED. THE BRIDGEPORT AUTOMATED FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (AFSS) RECEIVED A CALL, AT 0540, BY A PERSON USING THE CALL SIGN N75137. A REVIEW OF THE TRANSCRIPT REVEALED THAT THE CALLER WAS BRIEFED ON AIRMET TANGO FOR OCCASIONAL MODERATED TURBULENCE AND THE PRESENCE OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) CONDITIONS FROM NORWOOD TO THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY. THE BRIEFER ADDED THAT VFR FLIGHT WOULD NOT BE RECOMMENDED AT THAT TIME. THE BRIDGEPORT AFSS RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL, AT 0833, BY A PERSON USING THE CALL SIGN N75137. THE TRANSCRIPT REVEALED THAT THE BRIEFER ASKED, "...YOU CAN DO THIS IFR IF YOU HAVE TO." THE CALLER RESPONDED, "NO VFR." THE BRIEFER THEN PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION, "...THROUGH SOUTHERN VERMONT...ALBANY AREA OUT TO SYRACUSE AND UTICA THEY'RE ALL RUNNING BETWEEN TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED TO THREE THOUSAND FEET BROKEN TO OVERCAST TOPS ABOUT SEVEN THOUSAND FEET...LOOKING FOR...OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURBULENCE BELOW EIGHT THOUSAND FEET...I'VE GOT...A COUPLE OF REPORTS IN THE BOSTON AREA, SEEMS TO BE MODERATE...TURBULENCE RIGHT UP THROUGH THE CLOUD LAYERS AND UP TO ABOUT...FOURTEEN THOUSAND FEET..." THE BRIEFER CONTINUED, "...SO I DON'T...REALLY KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO FROM HERE DID YOU WANT TO CONTINUE?" THE CALLER RESPONDED "NO THAT'S GOOD." THE BRIEFER ADDED, "...BE GLAD TO GO FURTHER WITH YOU I JUST DON'T." THE CALLER ANSWERED "YEAH THAT'S JUST IT DOESN'T YEAH IT JUST DOESN'T SOUND VERY GOOD." IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, A WITNESS AT NORWOOD HEARD "THE DAUGHTER" ON THE PHONE GETTING A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING AND SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION WITH "HER FATHER." THE WITNESS STATED, "AT THE COMPLETION OF HER BRIEFING HER FATHER ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WEATHER....SHE COULDN'T ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HE ASKED, STATING SHE DIDN'T GET A COMPLETE BRIEFING BECAUSE WHAT SHE HAD HEARD SO FAR SOUNDED BAD ENOUGH THAT SHE DIDN'T SEE THE POINT IN CONTINUING THE BRIEFING." THE WITNESS ADDED, "HER TONE WAS NERVOUS AND ANXIOUS." HE ALSO STATED, "THE ONLY STATEMENT THE DAUGHTER MADE THAT I REMEMBER EXACTLY WAS "IT IS NOT SOMETHING I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH BUT...'CLEARLY DEFERRING TO HER FATHERS JUDGEMENT." THE BRIDGEPORT AFSS PROVIDED A FINAL WEATHER BRIEFING AT 0840, TO A PERSON USING THE CALL SIGN N75137. "YEAH BRIDGEPORT ARCHER SEVEN FIVE ONE THREE SEVEN...WE'VE HAD A PERSONAL BRIEFING AND UH LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A CHANGE IN PILOTS HERE...I JUST WANT THE TOPS..." THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED NORWOOD ABOUT 0930, AND PROCEEDED WEST TOWARD ALBANY, NEW YORK. ABOUT 1030, N75137 CONTACTED ALBANY APPROACH CONTROL FOR RADAR TRAFFIC ADVISORIES, TWO-WAY COMMUNICATIONS WERE ESTABLISHED, AND RADAR SERVICES WERE PROVIDED. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, ALBANY NEVER RECEIVED ANY REPORTS OF DIFFICULTIES FROM 75137. AT 1042, RADAR DATA REVEALED THE TARGET AT 6,500 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) ON A GROUND TRACK OF 305 DEGREES. TWENTY-THREE SECONDS LATER, THE TARGET WAS ON A GROUND TRACK OF 248 DEGREES AT AN ALTITUDE OF 6,500 FEET MSL. IN ANOTHER 9 SECONDS, THE GROUND TRACK CHANGED TO 185 DEGREES AT AN ALTITUDE OF 6,200 FEET MSL. IN THE NEXT AND FINAL 5 SECONDS OF RADAR TRACK DATA, THE TARGET'S GROUND TRACK CHANGED TO 145 DEGREES, AND ITS ALTITUDE CHANGE FROM 6,200 TO 5,600 FEET MSL. A WITNESS, APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED THE AIRPLANE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS IN A STEEP DIVE, "LIKE AT AN AIRSHOW." THE WITNESS ADDED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE COMING OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A SPIN WITH PIECES COMING OFF IT. OTHER WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING AN INCREASE IN ENGINE NOISE, AND SEEING THE RIGHT WING "JUST FOLD BACK." IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT A MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE HELICOPTER PILOT, FLYING A BELL 206L TO THE SITE, REPORTED STRONG UP AND DOWN DRAFTS, AND SEVERAL STRONG GUSTS THAT REQUIRED A REDUCTION IN TORQUE TO PREVENT RETREATING BLADE STALL. EXAMINATION OF THE SITE REVEALED THE LEFT WING, FUSELAGE, ENGINE, AND TAIL SECTION AT THE BASE OF A 70 FOOT TREE. THE TREE HAD FRESHLY BROKEN BRANCHES AT ITS TOP AND SCRAPE MARKS DOWN ITS TRUNK. THE AIRPLANE'S RIGHT WING AND LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILATOR WERE FOUND ABOUT 1 MILE TO THE EAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE SPAR FRACTURE SURFACES REVEALED NO SIGN OF BEACH MARKS, STRIATIONS, OR THUMBNAILS. THE ENDS OF THE CARRY-THROUGH SPAR WERE BENT UP 6/10 OF AN INCH IN RELATION TO ITS CENTER. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC98FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA124), Jun 3, 1998: Piper PA-28-181 (N75137), Dalton, MA, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to continue the flight into instrument meteorological conditions, resulting in a loss of control, and airplane stress limits to be exceeded. Factors in the accident, the pilot's… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.