- Date
- September 17, 1992, 10:47 local (14:47 UTC)
- Place
- Pullman, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39652Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920917037089A
- Case key
- 15313
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
The pilot in command's exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft.
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 pilot departed on an IFR flight plan on a route which he had been advised contained forecast and reported thunderstorm activity with the possibility of icing and turbulence. At 15,000 feet he reported encountering rain and icing and requested a lower altitude. After being cleared to 13,000 feet the airplane was observed to accelerate to 6,250 feet per minute on radar data. Shortly after this the fuselage was observed by a ground witness to descend out of a cloud with no wings or tail. Examination of the wreckage failed to reveal any pre-existing mechanical anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39652
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300T (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7887133
- Airframe hours
- 2,454
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Weber, Tracy T.
- Registered owner
- Weber, Tracy T.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 1992 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- MKE · Milwaukee, WI
- Destination
- DUJ · Du Bois, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 14 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 42 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.