- Date
- July 6, 1992, 08:20 local (13:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bowling Green, KY
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N188ALPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920706023869A
- Case key
- 11727
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 loss of control in flight due to spatial disorientation/vertigo.
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
Shortly after takeoff, the airplane crashed about .8 miles east from the departed runway 21. The pilot reported a cloud base of 800 feet AGL to the FAA flight service station 1 minute after takeoff. Shortly thereafter, witnesses stated that they heard the airplane's engine 'screaming' and the airplane came out of the clouds towards the ground. Witnesses stated that they saw the nose of the airplane rise just prior to impacting the trees. The on scene investigation did not reveal any airplane anomalies. An engine examination was accomplished and no anomalies were noted. The instrument panel and auto pilot controls were destroyed by impact forces. Three gyros were recovered from the wreckage and examined. Two of the three gyro casings exhibited rotational scoring. The pilot had logged about 354 hours total flight time. He earned his instrument rating on may 31, 1992. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N188AL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970121
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alexandria Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Alexandria Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 1992
- Departed
- BWG
- Destination
- CID · Cedar Rapids, IA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BWG · Warren County Airport, runway 21, 6,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 51 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWG, 1 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.