# Accident 20190221011319A: Piper PA-32R-301T, Goshen, IN, February 21, 2019 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 21, 2019, 20:05 local time - Place: Goshen, IN - Airport: Goshen Municipal - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.5278° N, 85.7572° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.5278&lon=-85.7572&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4922K, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4922K-2019-06-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32R-301T (registry code 7103220, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-301t) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-301T - Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19FA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA084) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190221011319A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON FEBRUARY 21, 2019 AT ABOUT 2005 EST, A PIPER PA-32R-301T, N4922K, REGISTERED TO IRONHEAD LLC, MIDDLEBURY, INDIANA, WAS DESTROYED AFTER IT IMPACTED HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES AND THE GROUND WHILE ON A PRACTICE RNAV APPROACH TO THE GOSHEN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (GSH), GOSHEN, INDIANA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THIS WAS A NIGHT TIME VMC FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM GSH ABOUT1950. INITIAL CONTACT TO THE SOUTHBEND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SBN) ATCT WAS MADE WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 4 MILES WEST OF THE GOSHEN AIRPORT. THE PILOT HAD CONTACTED THE SOUTHBEND INTERNATIONAL ATCT AND REQUESTED A VFR RNAV RW9 APPROACH BACK TO GSH, CIRCLE TO LAND RW27, FULL PROCEDURE TURN AND A FULL STOP AT AIRPORT WITH THE INTENTION TO COMPLETE ADDITIONAL PRACTICE APPROACHES. THE ALTIMETER SETTING 3024 WAS RELAYED TO THE PILOT. ACCORDING TO ATCT, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS EAST OF THE GSH AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 FEET. NO DISTRESS CALLS WERE HEARD FROM THE PILOT. METAR DATA AT 1953 SHOWED WINDS AT 270 AT 7 KTS AND VISIBILITY AT 9SM. AN EYE WITNESS STATED THAT HE WAS TRAVELLING WEST ON COUNTY ROAD 42 WHEN HE SAW THE AIRPLANE HEADING EAST APPROXIMATELY LINED UP OVERHEAD WITH THE ROAD. COUNTY ROAD 42 RUNS PARALLEL AND ABOUT 1000 FT SOUTH OF RUNWAY 9/27. HE SAW THREE LIGHTS ON THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE FLYING LOW AND SLOW AND STARTED TO MAKE A SLOW LEFT-HAND TURN. THE LEFT WING CONTINUED TO LOWER IN THE TURN, THEN THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY DROPPED DOWN, FOLLOWED BY AN EXPLOSION. AN AIRPORT SECURITY VIDEO SHOWED WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE AIRPLANE FLYING IN A STRAIGHT PATH, A FLASH, AND THEN DROPPING QUICKLY AND DISAPPEARING FROM SIGHT. THE VIDEO ALSO RECORDED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A GROUND EXPLOSION. THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED AT COORDINATES: 41.527778 N LATITUDE AND -85.757222 W LONGITUDE, ABOUT 1.4 MILES EAST OF THE APPROACH END OF GSH RUNWAY 27. THE WRECKAGE WAS NORTH OF AND ADJACENT TO DOWNED HIGH POWER LINES WITH TOWERS APPROXIMATELY 140 FEET IN HEIGHT. PORTIONS OF THE POWER LINE WIRES WERE FOUND EMBEDDED AROUND THE PROPELLER AND WIRE MARKS WERE FOUND ON BOTH WINGS. OBSERVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE FUSELAGE WAS INVERTED. MOST OF THE FUSELAGE EXCEPT THE TAIL SECTION WAS CONSUMED BY A POST IMPACT FIRE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS PARTIALLY CONSUMED BY FIRE. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE STABILATOR, RUDDER, AND AILERONS. THE FUEL SELECTOR HANDLE POSITION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE WINGS WERE LAYING ON THE GROUND, AND INVERTED. THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED. THE PITOT MAST REMAINED ATTACHED. THE WING TIPS WERE BOTH SEPARATED AND LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE ENGINE WAS FOUND MOSTLY SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME WITH VARIOUS CABLES AND WIRES STILL ATTACHED. THE ENGINE WAS EXPOSED TO A POST-CRASH FIRE, WITH ALL OF THE REAR ACCESSORIES MOSTLY CONSUMED BY THE FIRE. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE AND EXAMINED AT A HANGAR WHERE NO ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. ## 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 CEN19FA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA084), Feb 22, 2019: Piper PA32R (N4922K), Goshen, IN, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate altitude for undetermined reasons during a practice circling approach in dark night visual meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with power… 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.