CHI00FA090

The pilot contacted his wife an hour before taking off from Denver, Colorado, en route to Wichita, Kansas. He told her that he would be in Wichita in 4 hours. The airplane departed at 1700 mst on a VFR flight plan. An instrument flight plan was filed by the pilot, in flight, with Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The airplane was handed off to the Kansas City ARTCC. No radio contact was established between the airplane and Kansas City ARTCC. At 2015 cst, Denver ARTCC's last reported radar contact with the airplane was at 4,500 feet msl, 7 miles north, and 5 miles west of the Dighton, Kansas Airport. At 2032 cst, Denver ARTCC contacted the Lane County, Kansas, Sheriff's Office, requesting assistance 'in locating a plane that disappeared from radar.' They were informed that they (Denver ARTCC) heard someone say, 'We're going down.' At 2058 cst, the airplane was located by Lane County Sheriff's deputies. Near the time of the accident, weather reporting stations within 60 miles of the accident site were reporting overcast ceiling, visibility from 1/2 to 3 miles with light rain, and temperatures and dew points at 32 degrees F. An examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.

History of flight

On March 17, 2000, at 2015 central standard time (cst), a Piper PA-28-140, N4494X, operated by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted the terrain 8 miles northeast of Dighton, Kansas. A post-crash fire ensued. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot filed an instrument flight rules flight plan, in flight, with Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), prior to the accident. The pilot and two passengers on board the airplane were fatally injured. The cross-country flight originated at Denver, Colorado, at 1700 mountain standard time (mst), and was en route to Wichita, Kansas.

At 1452:02 mst, the pilot contacted the Denver Flight Service Station (AFSS) and filed a VFR flight plan from Front Range Airport (FTG), Denver, Colorado, direct to Benton Airport (1K1), Benton, Kansas. The pilot proposed to take off at 1700 mst. He filed an en route altitude of 7,500 feet mean sea level (msl), and estimated his time en route would be 3 hours and 45 minutes. The flight service specialist asked the pilot if he had the airmets for turbulence. The pilot replied, "Yes, I have all the airmets ... and the weather; and I'm hoping to go in VFR. If I have to, I will switch IFR in route." The flight service specialist said, "OK, I was just going to say VFR flight nots [is not] recommended because there is some IFR conditions in that area." The flight service specialist also asked the pilot if he had the airmet for icing? The pilot said, "yes."

The pilot's wife said that he contacted her from Denver, Colorado, an hour before taking off. She said that the pilot never said anything about the weather. He told her that he would be back home (Wichita) in 4 hours. The pilot's wife said that he should have arrived home at approximately 2130 cst.

At 1801:49 mst, the pilot contacted the Denver ARTCC and told them he was over the Kit Carson [Colorado] Airport at 8,000 feet msl. The pilot told the radar controller that he was "VFR on top" and that he was probably going to have to "switch to an IFR flight plan shortly, can I do that with you?"

At 1804:53 mst, the Denver ARTCC radar controller cleared N4494X to 1K1 "via direct Wichita, direct 1K1, maintain VFR on top."

At 1813:07 mst, the pilot contacted the Denver AFSS Flight Watch and requested the local conditions at Wichita Mid Continent Airport (ICT). Denver Flight Watch told the pilot, "Wichita currently reporting ... wind 110 at 7, visibility 3 [miles], light rain, mist, ceiling 500 [feet agl (above ground level)] overcast, temperature 3 [degrees Centigrade], dew point 3 [degrees Centigrade], altimeter 30.08 [inches of Mercury], ceiling 300 [feet agl] variable 900 [feet agl]." Denver Flight Watch then told the pilot, "be advised, they do have an airmet for occasional IFR conditions for the southern portion of Kansas ... VFR flight isn't recommended due to low stratus clouds ..." Before leaving Denver Flight Watch, the pilot said, " ... right now we have ... tops of clouds are about 7,000 feet. We're at 7,500 [feet] and have clouds above us also."

At 1825:16 mst, Denver ARTCC told the pilot his position was 25 miles southeast of the Goodland, Kansas, VORTAC. The pilot told the radar controller that he needed to go into ICT.

At 1825:53 mst, Denver ARTCC cleared N4494X direct to ICT.

At 1845:24 mst, Denver ARTCC instructed N4494X to contact Kansas City Center. There was no response. Between 1845:52 and 1847:59 mst, Denver ARTCC made five additional radio calls to N4494X. There were no responses from N4494X to any of the calls.

At 1848:52 mst, the pilot contacted Denver ARTCC. Denver ARTCC instructed N4494X to contact Kansas City Center. There was no response from the pilot. Denver ARTCC made two additional calls to N4494X.

At 1850:10 mst, the pilot told Denver ARTCC, "... I got you weak and scratchy ... we are now in the clouds; request IFR to ICT, 7,000 feet." The Denver ARTCC radar controller told the pilot to standby.

The Denver ARTCC radar controller began coordinating the radar handoff of N4494X with Kansas City ARTCC "Hayes Low" radar controller.

At 1851:18 mst, Denver ARTCC called N4494X and told the pilot, "... you're cleared to Wichita via direct, maintain 7,000 [feet msl]. The pilot acknowledged, "7,000 feet, direct ICT." Denver ARTCC then instructed N4494X to contact Kansas City Center. The pilot acknowledged the frequency change.

At 1854:42 mst, the Denver ARTCC radar controller contacted the Hayes low controller and said, "I'm still seeing that guy 9-4-X. He's at 6,300 [feel agl] ... I told him to maintain seven, and I don't know why he's going down."

At 1900:33 mst (2000:33 cst), the Kansas City ARTCC Hill City low controller contacted the Denver ARTCC radar controller inquiring if Denver ARTCC was still talking to N4494X? The Denver radar controller said that he wasn't, and they reconfirmed the frequency N4494X was supposed to be on. The Denver ARTCC radar controller also said that he didn't know why N4494X was at 6,000 feet msl. Denver ARTCC tried to contact N4494X several times.

At 2004:18 cst, the Kansas City ARTCC Hayes low controller told Denver ARTCC, "... he's (N4494X) like circling now."

At 2007:39 cst, Denver ARTCC radar showed N4494X 25 miles northeast of Scott City, Kansas, at 5,200 feet msl.

At 2011:12 cst, Kansas City ARTCC radar showed N4494X at 4,600 feet msl.

At 2012:20 cst, Denver ARTCC tried to contact N4494X again. There was still no response.

At 2013:53 cst, Denver ARTCC contacted Canadian Airlines International, Flight 183, and asked if they would try raising N4494X on their frequency. They said they would try.

At 2015:05 cst, Kansas City ARTCC lost radar contact with N4494X.

The airplane was at 4,500 feet msl when radar contact was lost. The airplane's position was 7 miles north and 5 miles west of the Dighton, Kansas Airport.

At 2015:16 cst, Denver ARTCC received this call from an unidentified aircraft, "Denver Center [broken transmission] four four [broken transmission]."

At 2015:23 cst, Denver ARTCC received a broken transmission from an unidentified aircraft, followed by an open mike with a whine increasing in pitch. At 2015:29 cst, Denver ARTCC received another open mike with a whine increasing in pitch.

At 2015:36 cst, Key Lime Air Flight 220 contact Denver ARTCC and told them that they just heard an aircraft over the air say he was going down. Denver ARTCC asked Canadian Airlines Flight 183 if they had heard the aircraft. They responded, "... we believe we heard the same thing that the other airplane did as well."

Denver ARTCC contacted Key Lime Air Flight 220 again to clarify what they had heard. They responded, "... we think it was twenty or twenty-five miles northeast of Goodland [Kansas] and ... just heard his call sign ... cherokee and ... some screaming in the background ... that they were going down." Key Lime 220 then told Denver ARTCC that they picked up light to moderate rime ice at 6,000 feet msl.

At 2032 cst, Denver ARTCC contacted the Lane County, Kansas, Sheriff's Office and requested assistance "in locating a plane that disappeared from radar." They were informed that the airplane was en route to Wichita, and was pinpointed at about 17 miles north-northeast of Dighton, around Utica, Kansas. The Lane County Sheriff's Office was also told that they (Denver ARTCC) heard someone say, "We're going down." The airplane had disappeared "about 15 minutes ago."

At 2058 cst, Lane County Sheriff's Deputies located the airplane.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land, instrument airplane rating.

The Federal Aviation Administration Airmen (FAA) Certification Branch, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reported the pilot obtained his private pilot certificate