What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 27, 2018 at 18:52 local time, at Casa Grande airport (cgz) in Casa Grande Arizona, aircraft N5668W crashed into the perimeter fence, short of the runway while attempting to land. The aircraft, a Piper PA-28-180, was piloted by privacy data omitted and no other passengers were aboard. The pilot sustained injuries to the head and jaw and was airlifted to the hospital in chandler Arizona, where he was treated and released.
Inspection of the aircraft, post-crash, revealed it had sustained substantial damage. Further inspection found there to be no mechanical issues that could have contributed to the accident.
Inspection of the hangar facility where the aircraft was kept, revealed evidence that the pilot had been treated by the veterans administration hospital as was noted by numerous prescription bottles forprivacy data omitted. A data base search found no record of the pilot having a pilot certificate or a medical certificate, ever issued from the FAA.
During an interview with the pilot, after his release from the hospital, he stated that he had a student pilot certificate issued to him on September 29, 1970 and he was unaware that the certificate had an expiration date. The pilot stated that he had flown several planes since 1970 with only his student pilot certificate. When asked about the prescription bottles found in the hangar, the pilot stated that he had a head injury and subsequent medical discharge from the U.S. Army in the 1960'S and he had been treated by the v.a. for pain associated with the injury. The pilot also stated that he did not take any of the medication on the day of the accident.
When explaining the events leading to the accident, the pilot stated that he had been doing pattern flying around cgz and was lined up to land on runway 5. He recalled that as he got close he thought he may be a little low and was going to go around. Before he could make the maneuver the pilot believes he lost consciousness and when he awoke he realized he had been in a crash. Noticing fuel leaking from the wing of the plane, the pilot stated, he shut down all switches and got out of the plane. After exiting the plane the pilot picked up parts of the plane and placed them into the baggage compartment and then walked across the field to an air evacuation station located at cgz.
When the pilot apparently lost consciousness, he pushed the nose down, causing the right wing and landing gear to contact the perimeter fence severing the right landing gear, which in turn caused the nose of the aircraft to contact the ground breaking the nose gear off. The aircraft came to rest approximately 600 feet from the end of the runway.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 27, 2018 AT 18:52 LOCAL TIME, AT CASA GRANDE AIRPORT (CGZ) IN CASA GRANDE ARIZONA, AIRCRAFT N5668W CRASHED INTO THE PERIMETER FENCE, SHORT OF THE RUNWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND. THE AIRCRAFT, A PIPER PA-28-180, WAS PILOTED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND NO OTHER PASSENGERS WERE ABOARD. THE PILOT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND JAW AND WAS AIRLIFTED TO THE HOSPITAL IN CHANDLER ARIZONA, WHERE HE WAS TREATED AND RELEASED.
INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, POST-CRASH, REVEALED IT HAD SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THERE TO BE NO MECHANICAL ISSUES THAT COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
INSPECTION OF THE HANGAR FACILITY WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS KEPT, REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN TREATED BY THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL AS WAS NOTED BY NUMEROUS PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES FOR^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. A DATA BASE SEARCH FOUND NO RECORD OF THE PILOT HAVING A PILOT CERTIFICATE OR A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, EVER ISSUED FROM THE FAA.
DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT, AFTER HIS RELEASE FROM THE HOSPITAL, HE STATED THAT HE HAD A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE ISSUED TO HIM ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1970 AND HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE CERTIFICATE HAD AN EXPIRATION DATE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN SEVERAL PLANES SINCE 1970 WITH ONLY HIS STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES FOUND IN THE HANGAR, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD A HEAD INJURY AND SUBSEQUENT MEDICAL DISCHARGE FROM THE U.S. ARMY IN THE 1960'S AND HE HAD BEEN TREATED BY THE V.A. FOR PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE INJURY. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HE DID NOT TAKE ANY OF THE MEDICATION ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.
WHEN EXPLAINING THE EVENTS LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN DOING PATTERN FLYING AROUND CGZ AND WAS LINED UP TO LAND ON RUNWAY 5. HE RECALLED THAT AS HE GOT CLOSE HE THOUGHT HE MAY BE A LITTLE LOW AND WAS GOING TO GO AROUND. BEFORE HE COULD MAKE THE MANEUVER THE PILOT BELIEVES HE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS AND WHEN HE AWOKE HE REALIZED HE HAD BEEN IN A CRASH. NOTICING FUEL LEAKING FROM THE WING OF THE PLANE, THE PILOT STATED, HE SHUT DOWN ALL SWITCHES AND GOT OUT OF THE PLANE. AFTER EXITING THE PLANE THE PILOT PICKED UP PARTS OF THE PLANE AND PLACED THEM INTO THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT AND THEN WALKED ACROSS THE FIELD TO AN AIR EVACUATION STATION LOCATED AT CGZ.
WHEN THE PILOT APPARENTLY LOST CONSCIOUSNESS, HE PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN, CAUSING THE RIGHT WING AND LANDING GEAR TO CONTACT THE PERIMETER FENCE SEVERING THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO CONTACT THE GROUND BREAKING THE NOSE GEAR OFF. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.