Piper PA-28-180 accident near Rich Hill, MO
On February 17, 2004, a Piper PA-28-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rich Hill, MO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 17, 2004
- Place
- Rich Hill, MO
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.044°N, 94.268°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040219X00206
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 17, 2004, at 0545 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N7876W, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain approximately 3 miles southeast of Rich Hill, Missouri. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight departed the Allen County Airport (K88), Iola, Kansas, approximately 0445 with an intended destination of Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), St. Charles, Missouri. The accident pilot contacted the Wichita Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) at 0407 on the morning of the accident flight. He requested a weather briefing for a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from K88 to SUS and stated that he would be leaving in 45 minutes. The pilot did not file a flight plan and no record of further contact with the accident pilot or aircraft was located. A witness located approximately five miles northeast of K88 reported that she was on her porch having coffee about 0445 that morning. She stated she heard an airplane fly, what seemed to be, directly over her house. She noted that she went off the porch in an effort to see it, but it was not visible due to the dense fog. She recalled that it was still completely dark at that time. She added that it was "so unbelievably foggy" that she could not see the house across the street. She estimated that distance to be about 100 feet. A second witness who resided approximately one mile northwest of the accident sit
Probable cause
Spatial disorientation experienced by the non-instrument rated pilot due to a lack of visual references and his subsequent failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Contributing factors were the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather conditions, the overcast cloud layer, low lighting conditions (night) and fog.
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Browse: Missouri · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
