# Accident 20240826011989A: Piper PA-28-140, Wayne, NE, August 26, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 26, 2024, 09:30 local time
- Place: Wayne, NE
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.3344° N, 97.0675° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3344&lon=-97.0675&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9626K, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9626K-2024-10-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN24FA327](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24FA327) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240826011989A

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC). THE WEATHER REPORTING STATION 7 MILES SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). EYEWITNESS LOCATED ON THE GROUND (0.4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE) STATED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS AT FULL THROTTLE BUT COULD NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE. HE STATED THAT THE FOG HAD JUST LIFTED, AND HE ESTIMATED THE CEILING TO BE 100 FEET OVERCAST. INITIAL IMPACT WAS IN A CORN FIELD WITH ESTIMATED 10-FOOT-HIGH CORN STALKS. THE IMPACT AREA INDICATED A HIGH ANGLE AND HIGH VELOCITY. THE DEBRIS PATH WAS ON A HEADING OF 325??° AND EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 95’. A POST-CRASH FIRE OCCURRED.

## 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 CEN24FA327](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24FA327), Aug 26, 2024: Piper PA-28-140 (N9626K), Wayne, NE, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The non-instrument-rated pilot’s encounter with instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of control.

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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