20040217003759A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Rich Hill, MO · February 17, 2004

Date: February 17, 2004 · 05:45 local
Place: Rich Hill, MO
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N7876W
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI04FA069
Reported as: Piper PA28180
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Pilot’s flight hours: 158 total55 in this make and model32 in the last 90 days

N7876WRegistration cancelled Jun 21, 2017 · Piper PA-28-180S/N 28-1900 · Built 1964 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-180 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) A non-instrument rated pilot and his passenger departed the allen county airport (K88), iola, KS, on a planned VFR flight to the spirit of st. louis airport (sus) in st. louis, MO. The pilot received a preflight weather briefing from the ict afss and was informed that VFR was not recommended. The aircraft proceeded at 5,000 ft. MSL till reaching the four rivers conservation area near Rich Hill, MO, where the aircraft impacted the ground at approximately 0540 CST. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident, but area residents described the weather that morning as very foggy, with visibilities of less than 1/2 mile.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER DEPARTED THE ALLEN COUNTY AIRPORT (K88), IOLA, KS, ON A PLANNED VFR FLIGHT TO THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS AIRPORT (SUS) IN ST. LOUIS, MO. THE PILOT RECEIVED A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING FROM THE ICT AFSS AND WAS INFORMED THAT VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED AT 5,000 FT. MSL TILL REACHING THE FOUR RIVERS CONSERVATION AREA NEAR RICH HILL, MO, WHERE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT APPROXIMATELY 0540 CST. THERE WERE NO EYEWITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT, BUT AREA RESIDENTS DESCRIBED THE WEATHER THAT MORNING AS VERY FOGGY, WITH VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN 1/2 MILE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI04FA069Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportRich Hill, MOSpatial disorientation experienced by the non-instrument rated pilot due to a lack of visual references and his subsequent failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Contributing factors were the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather conditions,…Feb 17, 2004 · Destroyed