CHI02FA034

At 1809, the pilot received a weather briefing from Wichita Flight Service for a flight from LaCrosse, Kansas, to Dodge City, Kansas (DDC). The controller told the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended and to expect instrument conditions at DDC. At approximately 1830, a witness observed the airplane fly over his house heading southwest. The witness said the airplane turned south and went into a fog bank. The witness then said the airplane came out of the fog bank heading west and diving. The airplane hit the ground and exploded. The witness said the airplane's lights were on and the engine was running. An examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies. At 1856, the National Weather Service at DDC, 12 miles southwest of the accident site, reported winds 150 degrees at 13 knots, ceilings of 600 feet broken, 1,000 feet overcast, 5 miles visibility with mist, temperature 54 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 53 degrees F, and altimeter 30.27 inches of Mercury. The pilot held a third class medical certificate dated December 15, 1999. The certificate contained limitations stating, "Not valid for night flying or by color signal control". The lighting conditions at the time of the accident was dark night.

History of flight

On November 16, 2001, at 1839 central standard time, a Piper PA-32R-301, N9224X, piloted by a private pilot, departed controlled flight and impacted terrain 3 miles north-northwest of Spearville, Kansas. An explosion and post-crash fire ensued. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The cross-country flight originated at LaCrosse, Kansas, approximately 1820, and was en route to Dodge City, Kansas (DDC).

At 1806, the pilot contacted the Wichita Flight Service Station (AFSS), Wichita, Kansas, by telephone and requested the weather from LaCrosse to Dodge City. The AFSS controller told the pilot, "(you're) gonna have conditions lowering in the dodge city area out there you have quite a bit of cloud cover and moisture moving in from the uh south moving northwest --- (unintelligible)."

The controller went on to tell the pilot that "dodge city radar shows ... some scattered light showers and that's about all you're gonna see out there ... as far as precautions they have issued one for i f r over the southwestern quarter of kansas now and let's see what that says o k calling for occasional ceilings below a thousand and three and strata and fog uh through zero three hundred zulu to be developing over remainder of western kansas and western oklahoma through texas through zero nine hundred zulu so actually it looks like it's likely to spread and right now uh dodge is showing southeast winds at one one and seven miles visibility broken ceiling one thousand one hundred overcast at one thousand six hundred and temperature one ---". The controller continued, "and garden city is i f r they're down to eight hundred broken one thousand three hundred overcast and liberal is reporting eight miles visibility ceiling four hundred foot overcast so v f r really at this point is not recommended into that area."

The pilot stated, "o k but dodge is eleven hundred right now and what was your dew point temperature spread?"

The controller responded, "uh dodge has a temperature of one three and a dew point of one two so only a one degree spread there.

The pilot said, "oh man o k."

The controller then said, "so i'd say a probably in a cup next hour to hour and a half you're gonna probably see uh below a thousand foot ceilings in that area."

The pilot said, "o k that's what i needed."

Approximately 1830, a witness observed the airplane fly over his house heading southwest. The witness said the airplane turned south and went into a fog bank. The witness then said the airplane came out of the fog bank heading west and diving. The airplane hit the ground and exploded. The witness said the airplane's lights were on and the engine was running.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land airplane rating. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aeromedical records, the pilot reported an estimated 1,800 total flying hours at his last aeromedical examination on December 15, 1999. The pilot's wife estimated that he had approximately 2,000 total flying hours.

The pilot successfully completed a biennial flight review in the accident airplane on October 22, 2000. The flight review was conducted in the accident airplane.

The pilot held a third class medical certificate dated December 15, 1999. The certificate contained limitations stating, "Not valid for night flying or by color signal control".

Aircraft information

The airplane, serial number 32-13055, was manufactured in 1993 and owned by Saratoga Limited Liability Corporation, Dodge City, Kansas. The airplane was used primarily for business.

According to the airplane's logbooks, the airplane underwent an annual inspection on October 15, 2001. The total airframe time recorded at the annual inspection was 710.2 hours. This was the last entry recorded in the logbook.

According to the owner of the fixed base operator at DDC, the pilot departed for La Crosse, Kansas, on November 16, 2001, at approximately 1300. La Crosse is 65 miles north-northwest of DDC and would take approximately 30 minutes to fly there.

Meteorological information

At 1856, the National Weather Service at DDC, 12 miles southwest of the accident site, reported winds 150 degrees at 13 knots, ceilings of 600 feet agl broken, 1,000 feet agl overcast, 5 miles statute miles visibility with mist, temperature 54 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 53 degrees F, and altimeter 30.27 inches of Mercury.

Wreckage and impact information

The National Transportation Safety Board's on-scene investigation began on November 17, 2001, at 1400.

The accident site was located in a field 0.7 miles north of Back Trail Road, an east-west running 2-lane gravel road.

The accident site began with a 23 foot long ground scar that ran from east to west along a 260-degree heading. At the start of the ground scar were broken pieces of blue fiberglass, numerous blue-colored paint chips, pieces of clear glass, and pieces of green-colored glass. The broken frame for the right wing tip position light and strobe light was located 2 feet south of the start of the ground scar. Approximately 3 feet west of the start of the ground scar were two pieces of the right outboard wing. The first piece was 30 inches long. The other piece was 5 feet long. Both pieces were crushed aft and charred. At the end of the ground scar was a 5-foot long and 2-foot wide hole. The hole was 30 inches at its deepest point at its center. One propeller blade, pieces of the propeller hub, pieces of the engine alternator, pieces of clear Plexiglas, and broken pieces of the cowling were visibly located in the hole. The propeller blade was torsionally bent, charred, and showed trailing edge nicks. The cowling pieces were charred and consumed by fire. The remaining two propeller blades, the propeller hub, spinner, and pieces of the cowling were buried within the hole. The spinner was crushed and broken aft. The propeller hub was broken open and fragmented. The two remaining propeller blades were bent forward and showed chordwise scratches and leading edge nicks.

An 18-inch by 12-inch piece of the engine's upper cowling was embedded in the east edge of the hole. The piece was broken aft and charred.

The airplane's engine, firewall, part of the instrument panel, and several radios and engine instruments were located on the south edge of the hole. The engine was broken off at the engine mounts. A 4-inch piece of the front top of the crankcase was broken out. The oil pan was broken off the bottom of the engine, fragmented, charred, and consumed by fire. The bottom of the engine was charred and melted. The top of the engine was covered with charred fiberglass residue. The firewall was broken forward, charred and melted. The instrument panel, radios, and engine instruments were charred, melted, and consumed by fire.

Approximately 7 feet from the west edge of the hole, on a 290-degree heading, there was a 6-foot section of the airplane's cabin. The cabin section was broken open, crushed aft, charred, melted and consumed by fire.

A debris field extended outward from the west edge of the hole for approximately 93 feet along a 240-degree heading. Numerous airplane parts were located within the debris field to include pieces of the instrument panel and glareshield, broken and charred flight and engine instruments, bent and charred cabin seats, the broken and charred nose gear strut, engine components, pieces of wing skin, pieces of clear Plexiglas, publications, and personal effects. The vegetation and soil in the area associated with the debris field was charred by fire.

At the end of the debris field on a 240-degree heading from the ground scar and hole w