Piper PA-32-300 accident near Wabash, IN
On September 11, 2005, a Piper PA-32-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wabash, IN. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 11, 2005
- Place
- Wabash, IN
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.760°N, 85.807°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050915X01473
Official records · CHI05FA260
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 10, 2005, at 2100 eastern standard time (est), a Piper PA-32-300 (Cherokee Six), N4032R, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with the terrain and subsequent ground explosion/fire while maneuvering to land at Wabash Municipal Airport (IWH), Wabash, Indiana. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 flight was operating without a flight plan. The pilot and his three passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was reported to have departed Fulton County Airport (RCR), Rochester, Indiana, at approximately 2040. The pilot reportedly had flown from IWH to RCR for dinner earlier in the evening, according to the pilot's daughter and an acquaintance of the pilot. Aircraft radar track data was obtained from Fort Wayne Approach Control. The first radar return associated with the accident airplane was recorded at 2046:25 (hhmm:ss) and was 5.0 nm east-southeast of RCR. The track continued to the southeast at altitudes between 2,200 and 2,400 feet mean sea level (msl). Between 2054:38 and 2057:47, the airplane descended from 2,100 to 1,400 feet while approaching IWH from the north-northwest. At 2057:47, radar coverage was lost with the airplane at 1,400 feet msl about 1.7 nm northwest of the airport. The radar facility's lower altitude limitation over IWH was about 1,200 feet msl. At 2100:14, the radar facility reestablished radar coverage with the accident airplane approximately 1.6 nm east of the airport. The airplane com
Probable cause
The pilot's spatial disorientation that resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Factors to the accident were the pilot's lack of recent night experience and the hazy night conditions.
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Browse: Indiana · 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.
