- Date
- February 4, 1993, 17:28 local (23:28 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3658WPiper PA-32
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930204022529A
- Case key
- 15664
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's failure to maintain altitude. The pilot's continued flight into IMC, diverted attention and the environmental conditions were factors.
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 instrument rated private pilot departed in special VFR conditions for a flight to another airport about 17 miles to the west. He was advised to maintain VFR. He received VFR advisories from ATC, was given a vector for the destination airport, and again advised to maintain VFR. According to the pilot, he entered a fog bank as he neared his destination. He said he inadvertently lost altitude when he attempted to adjust his global positioning system (GPS). He tried to regain altitude, but was unable to recover in time to avoid hitting terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3658W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-564
- Airframe hours
- 2,016
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hamilton, Norbert D.
- Registered owner
- Hamilton, Norbert D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1992 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- RST · Rochester, MN
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 483 total · 403 in this make and model · 483 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RST, 17 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.