- Date
- November 8, 1990, 06:20 local (12:20 UTC)
- Place
- Latham, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5536JPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901108049329A
- Case key
- 14954
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain a proper altitude.
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
While flying VFR cross country, on a dark overcast night, the plt said that he had to descend due to lowering ceilings, light rain and decreased visibility. He collided with power lines, damaging the left ldg gear. He elected to land straight ahead in a pasture, which resulted in additional airframe damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5536J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-999
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E405, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dale I. Castor, doing business as Dabonn Aviation
- Departed
- 8K2 · Harper, KS
- Destination
- 1K7 · Fredonia, KS
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,146 total · 174 in this make and model · 2,076 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- ICT, 40 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.