- Date
- February 24, 1991, 20:40 local (Feb 25, 1991, 02:40 UTC)
- Place
- Western, NE
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N738LLCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910224003359A
- Case key
- 14800
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
Spatial disorientation which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. A factor related to the accident was VFR flight into IMC.
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 non-instrument rated private pilot departed on a VFR cross country flight in VFR weather conditions. About 9 minutes after he took off, the pilot told air traffic control (ATC) that he was encountering snow flurries, and requested any pertinent updated weather reports/pilot reports. ATC reported scattered light snow showers in the area, but had no other significant information available. Eleven minutes later the pilot reported he was losing ground contact in heavy snow and requested vectors back to the departure airport. That was the last transmission from the accident airplane. The airplane impacted the ground about 30 miles southwest of the departure airport. The pilot received a pre-flight weather briefing which included flight precautions for icing and possible IFR conditions and occasional light snow and fog along his flight path.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738LL
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270061
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dalen R. Kniep
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- LNK · Lincoln, NE
- Destination
- HJH · Hebron, NE
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 204.3 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Observed at
- OLU, 34 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.