- Date
- August 16, 1992, 20:50 local (Aug 17, 1992, 02:50 UTC)
- Place
- Kit Carson, CO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8175ZPiper PA-32-301T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920816031979A
- Case key
- 18159
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 becoming spatially disoriented and exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft. Factors were: the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing, his attempted VFR flight into a level six thunderstorm, and his lack of instrument time.
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
There is no record the non instrument rated pilot obtained an FAA weather briefing or filed a flight plan before departing hutchison, KS, enroute to Colorado springs, CO. The wreckage was found two days later scattered 0.7 miles in an open field. Pieces of the right wing, horizontal stabilizers, and cabin roof were found strewn along the wreckage path. The left wing and vertical stabilizer remained attached to the airplane by control cables. The cabin was gutted by fire. The right wing spar stub was bent down and aft. The left horizontal stabilizer spar stub was bent down and aft, and the right horizontal stabilizer spar stub was bent up and aft. The pilot was known to use his strike finder to navigate through thunderstorms. National weather service radar showed a line of severe thunderstorms in the area of Kit Carson at the estimated time of the accident. Maximum intensity was level six.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8175Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-301T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-8024014
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mckenzie, Joseph A. & Mary E.
- Registered owner
- Mckenzie, Joseph A. & Mary E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 1991
- Departed
- HUT · Hutchison, KS
- Destination
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
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
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 193 in this make and model · 212 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.