- Date
- March 7, 1993, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Iliamna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N67559Piper PA-22
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930307004539A
- Case key
- 5867
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot in commands attempt to conduct a visual flight during instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain control of the aircraft during the emergency 180 degree turn maneuver to reverse direction. Factors in the accident were the snow and whiteout condition and the pilot in commands limited experience in performing 180 turns solely by reference to the plane's basic cockpit instrumentation.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The visual flight rules (VFR) restricted private pilot stated that he departed the airport in instrument meteorological conditions with the intent of maintaining visual reference with the ground by relying on prominent ground features. Once aloft, he realized that there were no prominent ground reference features along the shoreline. The pilot stated that he flew into whiteout conditions and became engrossed in trying to find the ground rather than flying the airplane. The pilot further stated that he became spatially disoriented while attempting to perform a 180 degree turn maneuver and that the airplane crashed in an inverted attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67559
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 226480
- Airframe hours
- 2,725
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Baumgartner, Robert G.
- Registered owner
- Chena Valley Bahai Assembly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 1992 · 170 hours before
- Destination
- DLG · Dillingham, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 225 total · 150 in this make and model · 225 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 15 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILI, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.