# Accident 20141224023639A: Piper PA-34-200T, Kimball, MI, December 24, 2014 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 24, 2014, 12:53 local time - Place: Kimball, MI - Airport: Port Huron - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.9700° N, 82.4195° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.9700&lon=-82.4195&mi=10 - Aircraft: N38884, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38884-2015-04-20) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-34-200T (registry code 7103406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200t) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-34-200T - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Unknown or foreign certificate - Pilot flight hours: 550 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15FA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15FA087) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20141224023639A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON 12/24/2014 A PIPER SENECA (N38884) DEPARTED RICHMOND/ASHLAND, VA (KOFP) AT 10:25 ET IFR TO PORT HURON, MI (PHN). THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT. HE WAS A CANADIAN CITIZEN AND OPERATED ON A US PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE LAND PRIVILEGES BASED ON HIS CANADIAN CERTIFICATE. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED AND FLEW UNEVENTFULLY THROUGH WASHINGTON AND CLEVELAND CENTERS? AIRSPACE AT 8000 FT. CLEVELAND CENTER ISSUED NORMAL DESCENT CLEARANCES AND EVENTUALLY HANDED N38884 OFF TO SELFRIDGE APPROACH CONTROL. SELFRIDGE ISSUED STANDARD CLEARANCES AND VECTORS TO THE ILS 4 AT PHN. AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM RUNWAY 4 SELFRIDGE ASSIGNED A HEADING OF 010 TO JOIN THE LOCALIZER AT 2300 FEET AND CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE ILS 4. N38884 ACKNOWLEDGED AND COMPLIED. AT APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES OUT (1 MILE FROM THE GLIDESLOPE INTERCEPT) SELFRIDGE APPROACH NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT WAS LATE JOINING THE LOCALIZER AND WAS FLYING THROUGH IT. THE CONTROLLER ASKED IF HE NEEDED VECTORS BACK ON THE LOCALIZER. THE PILOT STATED THAT, ?I THINK I CAN GRAB IT?. SELFRIDGE GAVE THE MOST CURRENT PHN ALTIMETER AND APPROVED N38884 TO SWITCH TO THE ADVISORY FREQUENCY. THE AIRCRAFT DID REJOIN THE LOCALIZER PRIOR TO THE FINAL APPROACH FIX AND CONTINUED TO DESCEND. THE APPROACH RADAR DATA AND MODE C REPORT INDICATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 FT HIGH THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE APPROACH PROFILE. ALSO, THE RADAR INDICATED ?S? TURNING ON THE LOCALIZER. AT ONE MILE FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY THE MODE C INDICATED 1200. THIS WAS ABOUT 150 FT ABOVE THE 3 DEGREE GLIDE PATH. AT 12:52:16 ET THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT THE MISSED APPROACH POINT/DA. AT THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT MODE C INDICATED 1100. THE PRESCRIBED DA WAS 847. AT THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE DIVERGING FROM THE LOCALIZER TO THE WEST. THIS WAS THE LAST RECEIVED MODE C AND/OR PRIMARY RADAR TARGET UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT REAPPEARED FLYING THE MISSED APPROACH. AT 12:53:48 ET THE AIRCRAFT REAPPEARED ON RADAR FOR 2 SWEEPS AT 1100 FT (APPROXIMATELY 550 FT ABOVE THE GROUND). THE AIRCRAFT WAS .8 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT WHICH WAS WELL WEST OF THE MISSED APPROACH COURSE. THE PILOT ADVISED SELFRIDGE THAT HE WAS ON THE MISSED APPROACH. SELFRIDGE ACKNOWLEDGED AND ASKED HIM TO SAY HIS ALTITUDE. THERE WERE NO MORE VERBAL RESPONSES OR RADAR CONTACT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TREES AT APPROXIMATELY .1 MILE FROM THE POINT OF THE LAST RADAR CONTACT. THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. SELFRIDGE INITIATED A SEARCH. THE ELT FUNCTIONED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND WITH A GROUND SEARCH BY THE CIVIL AIR PATROL AT 17:06. AT 17:15 ET THE PORT HURON SHERIFFS? DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND PRESERVED THE SCENE. AT 20:00 ET THE PILOT WAS REMOVED WITH CONCURRENCE FROM THE NTSB. ## 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 CEN15FA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15FA087), Dec 24, 2014: Piper PA-34-200T (N38884), Port Huron, MI, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to continue flight below the minimum descent altitude without visually acquiring the runway and his delayed and improperly executed missed approach procedure in instrument… ## Other reports on N38884 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19810117010189I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19810117010189I), Jan 17, 1981: Piper PA34200T (N38884), Peru, IN, Minor damage. Lost control, slid off runway and hit a snowbank after touch down. 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.