- Date
- March 15, 1987, 19:20 local (Mar 16, 1987, 01:20 UTC)
- Place
- Mason City, IA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56285Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870315005949A
- Case key
- 34352
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 stated that he had obtained a full weather briefing and an IFR clearance from grand marais, Minnesota to des moines, Iowa prior to departure; and that the flight was uneventful, except for stronger than forecasted headwinds aloft. Enroute, the pilot further stated, he received two in-flight wx advisories but decided to continue on to dsm. According to the national weather service, forecasted--and known--icing conditions existed throughout the route of flight. Several FAA weather briefing personnel stated that the pilot was warned of icing conditions on all of his contacts with fss. Only when the aircraft began picking up rime ice did the pilot request vectors to a nearby airport for a precautionary landing. The aircraft landed nose first as the pilot reduced power over the runway threshold--the nose gear collapsed upon impact, damaging the propeller and engine mounts. A post-accident inspection of the aircraft revealed the presence of ice along the leading edge of the wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56285
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7340168
- Airframe hours
- 3,338
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIA5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- R.C. Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 1986
- Departed
- GRM · Grand Marais, MN
- Destination
- DSM · Des Moines, IA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MCW · Mason City Muni., runway 12, 5,502 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,190 total · 1,648 in this make and model · 2,069 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCW, 5 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.