- Date
- October 30, 1992, 23:00 local (Oct 31, 1992, 05:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Riley, KS
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3563ZPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921031047079A
- Case key
- 15578
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 non-current student pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain while operating at night, in instrument meteorological conditions.
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 held an expired student pilot certificate. He took off at night with local weather reports of 200 foot ceilings, 3/4 miles visibility in fog. The airplane impacted hilly terrain 11 miles north of the departure airport on army base property. A postimpact fire ensued. Postaccident investigation revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3563Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8031035
- Airframe hours
- 1,848
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB1, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Walker Stone Co., Inc.
- Registered owner
- Walker Stone Co., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1991 · 89 hours before
- Departed
- 3JC · Junction City, KS
- Destination
- Unk/Nr
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
- 20
- Medical
- Unknown, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 50 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KFRI, 8 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.