- Date
- April 3, 1988, 11:59 local (18:59 UTC)
- Place
- Ukiah, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N15847Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880403007339A
- Case key
- 25824
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 failed to maintain control of his aircraft. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of recent IFR experience, spatial disorientation and his failure to perform remedial action.
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 plt encountered spatial disorientation & lost control of his acft during climb while attempting to reverse course in compliance with an ATC clearance. IMC existed & the acft accelerated to above its maneuvering speed. When the plt attempted to recover the left wing broke under positive air loads at mid-span (outboard of the extruded spar). No log book record was found indicating that the plt had flown under IFR conditions in at least 6 months. Therapeutic levels of diazepam were found in the plt's liver.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15847
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7305161
- Airframe hours
- 2,380
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert & Lillian Beck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 13, 1987 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- UKI · Ukiah, CA
- Destination
- O01 · Santa Rosa, CA
- 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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 915 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UKI, 6 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.