# Accident 19981227046099A: Piper PA28R180, Randolph, NH, December 27, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 27, 1998, 19:40 local time
- Place: Randolph, NH
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.3753° N, 71.2798° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Randolph, NH, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.3753&lon=-71.2798&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4591J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4591J-2001-06-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28R-180 (registry code 7102809, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28R180
- Reported engine: LYC IO360B1E
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 526 total, 17 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99FA041](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA041) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981227046099A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) DURING A TELEPHONE WEATHER BRIEFING, THE BRIEFER USED THE PHRASE 'LOOKS EXCELLENT' AND , 'I WOULD RECOMMEND TONIGHT INSTEAD OF TOMORROW' TO DESCRIBE 5,000 FOOT SCATTERED TO BROKEN, AND 10,000 FOOT BROKEN TO OVERCAST WEATHER IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT NIGHT. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED, AND THE PILOT ADVISED BANGOR HE WAS IN HAZE AT 7,500 FEET MSL. THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP, AND THE DEBRIS WAS FOUND IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.  IN THE LAST 7 YEARS THE PILOT LOGGED 0.4 HOURS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT, AND 4.7 HOURS OF NIGHT.  A SATELLITE INFRARED IMAGE SHOWED OVERCAST CLOUDS ACROSS NEW HAMPSHIRE ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  ALL FRACTURE SURFACES EXAMINED WHERE CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD.  ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE AIRPORT WAS IN A 'BLACK HOLE,' SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH FEW GROUND LIGHTS FOR REFERENCE.  THE INSTRUMENT FLYING HANDBOOK STATES, ILLUSIONS IN FLIGHT CAN BE CREATED BY MOTION AND CERTAIN VISUAL SCENES.  ILLUSIONS MAY LEAD THE PILOT TO MANEUVER THE AIRCRAFT INTO A DANGEROUS ATTITUDE.  THE AIM STATES THAT VFR FLIGHT IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN UNDER AN OVERCAST OR IN THE VICINITY OF CLOUDS AT NIGHT SHOULD BE APPROACHED WITH 'EXTREME CAUTION.'          (-23) STRONG WINDS ALOFT IN MOUNTAINS, HAZE AND SCATTERED CLOUDS. WINGS FAILED WITH POSITIVE PRESSURE (UP), STABILATOR FAILED WITH NEGATIVE PRESSURE (DOWN), AIRCRAFT WAS PUT IN AN ATTITUDE WHICH EXCEEDED ITS STRUCTURAL LIMITS.

## 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 NYC99FA041](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA041), Dec 28, 1998: Piper PA-28R-180 (N4591J), Randolph, NH, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions which led to spatial disorientation and loss of aircraft control. Also causal was the pilot exceeded the design limits of…

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.

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