# NTSB CEN21FA320: Piper PA-28-180, N2801T, Muscatine, IA, July 14, 2021 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report - Date: July 14, 2021, 12:38 local (17:38 UTC) - Place: Muscatine, IA - Coordinates: 41.493333, -91.049722 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4933&lon=-91.0497&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Lycoming, FAA-Des Moines FSDO, Piper Aircraft - NTSB case key (mKey): 103481 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21FA320 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/103481/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103481 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21FA320 ## Probable cause The noninstrument-rated pilot’s continued visual flight under a thunderstorm, where he encountered reduced visibility due to heavy precipitation, resulting in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-180, 25 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=7102808), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Perception/orientation/illusion: spatial disorientation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022025): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-180, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022025/cases.md?model=7102808), [All aircraft, 358 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022025/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-180, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md?model=7102808), [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-180, 30 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=7102808), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis The noninstrument-rated pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight. Flight track data indicated that the airplane proceeded direct toward its destination until about 1 hour after departure, when it began a series of course and altitude changes, likely due to an encounter with adverse weather conditions. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a descending right turn, during which its descent rate increased and turn radius decreased, and the airplane impacted the ground in the vicinity of the final returns. The airplane impacted a farm field, and the wreckage was distributed in a fan-shaped pattern about 400 ft in length. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A Convective SIGMET, which advised of severe thunderstorms and hail, was valid for the time of the accident at the accident location. Weather radar confirmed the presence of thunderstorms, severe precipitation, and 0.85-inch hail in the area of the accident site at the time of the accident. The aviation area forecast discussion described these storms as bringing marginal VFR conditions with IFR conditions in some of the heavier storms. Toxicology testing revealed the pilot’s use of multiple potentially impairing drugs; however, no active substances were found in the pilot’s blood following the accident. Therefore, it is unlikely that effects from the pilot’s use of these substances contributed to the accident. The airplane’s turning, descending flight track just before the accident is consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot’s decision to fly directly under a thunderstorm resulted in an encounter with heavy precipitation and reduced visibility conditions, which subsequently resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of airplane control. ## Factual narrative Airplane maintenance records were not available for review. The pilot was not in contact with ATC during the flight. On July 14, 2021, about 1238 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N2801T, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Muscatine, Iowa. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed from Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan, with an intended destination of Nevada Municipal Airport (NVD), Nevada, Missouri. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast information indicated that the airplane departed IMT and proceeded on a direct course toward NVD at an altitude about 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl). About 1 hour after departure, the airplane entered an area where thunderstorm activity was present and began a series of course and altitude changes that continued to the end of the flight data. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a descending right turn from an altitude about 2,900 ft msl. As the turn continued, the radius of the turn decreased, and the airplane’s descent rate increased until the end of the data. Figure 1. The accident airplane’s flightpath overlayed on weather radar imagery depicting the weather at the time of the accident. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified 2.3 ng/ml of carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal (THC-COOH) in the pilot’s blood and liver. THC-COOH is the primary inactive metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinal (THC). THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis. In addition, diphenhydramine and caffeine were identified in the pilot’s spleen and liver. No active substances were identified in the pilot’s blood. Information from the National Weather Service (NWS) Aviation Weather Center indicated that a Convective SIGMET that was in effect for the accident location at the time of the accident. The SIGMET advised of an area of severe thunderstorms with hazards that included 1-inch hail. Weather radar images indicated the presence of thunderstorm activity at the location and time of the accident, with 0.85-inch hail in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. At 1221, the Weather Forecasting Office for Quad City, Iowa, issued for the aviation section of the area forecast discussion, showers and thunderstorms impacting near the area and bringing marginal VFR conditions with IFR conditions in some of the heavier storms. Also, some of these storms could bring wind gusts to 50 kts and hail. Whether the pilot obtained a weather briefing prior to the accident flight or not is unknown. No flight plan was filed. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His flight logbooks indicated about 227 total hours of flight experience as of the last entry dated July 8, 2020. The airplane impacted a farm field on a southerly heading. Uponimpact, the airplane fragmented, and the wreckage was distributed in a fan-shaped pattern. The fuselage came to rest about 435 ft south of the initial impact point. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2801T](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2801T-2022-11-05), registration cancelled 2022-11-05, S/N 28-7205222, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (registry code 7102808) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7205222 - Year built: 1972 - Engines: LYCOMING O-360-A4A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: God Speed Aviation LLC - Registered owner: God Speed Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: IMT, Iron Mountain, MI - Destination: NVD, Nevada, MO - Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 68; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 227 total ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 220° at 4 knots, gusting 10 - Visibility: 6 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,500 ft broken - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 73 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: KMUT, 9 nm away - METAR: METAR KMUT 141735Z AUTO 22004G10KT 6SM BR BKN065 OVC080 25/23 A3005 RMK AO2= ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20210714013279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210714013279A), Jul 14, 2021: Piper PA-28-180, Muscatine, IA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. On July 14, 2021, ATC observed on radar, N2801T flying into a weather cell before abruptly dropping off radar. ## Docket (11 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 29, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103481. 101 MB in all. - Meteorology specialist's factual report (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13415672&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WX_CEN21FA320_Specialists_Factual-Rel.pdf - Medical factual (item 2, PDF, 3 pages, 237 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13586906&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN21FA320_Muscatine_IA_Medical_Factual_FINAL_040122-Rel.pdf - Toxicological report (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 434 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13765169&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2021_149_001_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot logbook (item 4, PDF, 27 pages, 74.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14465253&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20log_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Postaccident examination of gyroscopic flight instruments (item 5, PDF, 6 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14518576&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Gyro%20exam%20notes_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Statement of party representatives to NTSB investigation (item 6, PDF, 2 pages, 387 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14518459&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Part%20forms_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Wreckage examination summary (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 122 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14517958&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Examination%20Summary%20-%20Report-Rel.pdf - Wreckage diagram (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 126 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14517622&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Google%20Earth%20image%20showing%20wreckage%20distribution-Rel.pdf - ADS-B data (item 9, CSV, 20.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14518201&FileExtension=csv&FileName=20210714_A2D088_459381355_ADSB-Rel.csv - ADS-B (kmz file) (item 10, KMZ, 701 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14518586&FileExtension=kmz&FileName=20210714_A2D088_459381355-Rel.kmz - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 11, PDF, 1 page, 137 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14519072&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=733975%20Signed%20NTSB%20Wreckage%20Release%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- 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.