Piper PA28 accident near Guthrie Center, IA
On November 9, 2018, a Piper PA28 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Guthrie Center, IA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 9, 2018
- Place
- Guthrie Center, IA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.620°N, 94.522°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181110X83525
Official records · WPR19FA022
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 9, 2018, about 1715 central standard time, a Piper PA28-236, N91770, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Guthrie Center, Iowa. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was flying the three passengers, one of whom was a student pilot and co-owner of the airplane, from Le Mars Municipal Airport (LRJ), Le Mars, Iowa, to Osceola Municipal Airport (I75), Osceola, Iowa, for a hunting trip. Two witnesses reported observing the initial engine start. Both stated that the pilot made multiple attempts to start the engine, which resulted in loud popping and "backfire" sounds, but the engine would either not start or would not maintain idle power and would sputter to a stop. The restart attempts continued for about 1 minute, and on the final attempt, the engine started and rapidly accelerated to a speed so high that one witness was concerned that it could damage the cold engine. Both stated that the pilot then taxied the airplane to the fuel island at what they considered to be a high engine idle speed. After fueling, the passengers boarded. One witness stated that the takeoff and departure were uneventful, but he did notice before the airplane began its taxi that the insides of the windows were covered in mist. According to air traffic control radar and voice communication information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 1700 a controller observed a radar target squawking the
Probable cause
Pilot incapacitation due to carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of an undetected crack in an engine exhaust muffler, which permitted entry of exhaust gasses into the cabin via the cabin heat system.
More accidents in IA
- Rockwell 500-S, Nov 25, 1985
- Cessna 340A, Feb 17, 2007
- Piper PA-32-260, Dec 18, 2003
- Piper PA-28-140, Mar 6, 1993
- Cessna 172N, Feb 28, 1988
Browse: Iowa · 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.
