Piper PA-32R-301T accident near Defiance, OH
On September 26, 2007, a Piper PA-32R-301T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Defiance, OH. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 26, 2007
- Place
- Defiance, OH
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.262°N, 84.475°W
- NTSB ID
- 20071003X01495
Official records · CHI07FA305
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- FAA ATC Report & Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 26, 2007, at 1033 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N8341G, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain about 7 miles west of Defiance, Ohio. The pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight departed the Campbell Airport (C81), Grayslake, Illinois, at 0912, and was en route to Findlay Airport (FDY), Findlay, Ohio. Surface weather observations indicated that visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. Radar track data indicated that the airplane was in cruise flight about 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 1032:27, Toledo Approach Control instructed the pilot to descend from 7,000 feet to 3,000 feet msl, and the pilot acknowledged the descent instructions at 1032:31. The Toledo Approach Control's last radar contact with the airplane was at 1032:53, and the airplane was about 6,500 feet msl. Toledo Approach Control reported that the pilot made no distress call and he did not indicate that the airplane was experiencing any mechanical difficulty. A construction crew was installing a drainage culvert on Whetstone Road, located about 7 miles west of Defiance, Ohio, on the day of the accident. The witnesses reported that rain showers had moved through the area a few minutes prior to the accident. Low-level gray clouds were in the area all morning, with darker clouds to the east at the time of the accident. They could hear the airplane when it was in the clouds for about a minute with
Probable cause
The pilot's spatial disorientation when he encountered convective turbulence which resulted in a loss of control. This encounter resulted in an in-flight break up. Contributing to the accident was the convective turbulence in the clouds.
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Browse: Ohio · 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.
