- Date
- June 28, 1992, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mokane, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5175LPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920628022249A
- Case key
- 15202
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
An inadequate visual lookout by the pilot and his failure to maintain clearance from the wires.
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
Persons present at the accident site observed the accident airplane flying at low altitude from east to west along the river toward suspended power transmission lines. As the airplane approached the lines the witnesses saw it roll just before it collided with the top wire in the array. The right wing was torn away and the airplane descended into the river and sank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5175L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-4661
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sontheimer, James E
- Registered owner
- Sontheimer, James E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- 46MO · St. Peters, MO
- Destination
- JEF · Jefferson City, MO
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JEF, 19 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.