Piper PA-24-180 accident near Great Bend, KS
On June 17, 2004, a Piper PA-24-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Great Bend, KS. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 17, 2004
- Place
- Great Bend, KS
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.321°N, 98.791°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040706X00907
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 16, 2004, at 2330 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180, N6698P, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain about 3-1/2 miles southeast of Great Bend Municipal Airport (GBD), Great Bend, Kansas. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Night instrument meteorological conditions with convective activity prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The local flight departed GBD about 2300. While in-flight, at 2316, a pilot representing N6698P contacted the Wichita Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS). The briefer advised the pilot that severe thunderstorms were in the vicinity of GBD and that he would recommend returning to the airport. The briefer told the pilot that the storms were moving to the east at 25 knots and estimated that they would be passing GBD within approximately 5 minutes. The pilot responded that he was returning to the airport. There was no further contact between the accident aircraft and the AFSS. A transcript of these communications is included with the docket of this report. A witness stated that she was standing on her front porch about 2320 watching the weather. She reported that she noticed a small airplane north of her home. She noted the airplane was initially traveling westbound, but it turned "straight south" as she watched it. As the airplane approached the road in front of her home, it turned and proceeded westbound again. She noted, "the wind started to come up and the dirt started bl
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning due to his failure to obtain a weather briefing prior to takeoff. Additional causes were the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather and his failure to maintain clearance with the terrain during his attempt to return to the departure airport. Contributing factors were the pilot's impairment due to alcohol, the low altitude at which the aircraft was
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Browse: Kansas · 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.
