Piper PA23 accident near Ellensburg, WA
On January 17, 2019, a Piper PA23 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ellensburg, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 17, 2019
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA23 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 46.947°N, 120.513°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190117X24841
Official records · WPR19LA066
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control - Flight Track: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC - Raw Radar Data: Document (CSV), on ntsb.gov
- Memo For Record - FAA ATC Findings: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 17, 2019, at 1645 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA23-250 airplane, N14372, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ellensburg, Washington. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from Bowers Field Airport (ELN), Ellensburg, Washington, about 1639, and was destined for McAllister Field Airport (YKM), Yakima, Washington, located about 28 nautical miles south. Radar data showed the airplane depart ELN to the northwest, make an approximate 180° left turn to the southeast, and then make a turn southwest before flying south. (See Figure 1). At 1644, the airplane had reached an altitude of 4,750 ft mean sea level (msl); shortly thereafter, it entered a descending left turn before radar data ended at 16:45:18 and 3,050 ft msl. The instrument rated pilot contacted air traffic control after departure and stated that he was in the clouds at 5,000 ft, and he requested the instrument landing system RWY27 approach at YKM. The controller issued the pilot a discrete transponder code and asked the pilot if he was requesting an IFR clearance, but the pilot did not respond, and no further communications were received from the airplane. Figure - Flight Track One witness at ELN reported that he helped the pilot clear snow from his airplane. The accident pilot indicated to him that he had hoped to conduct the flight in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions. The witness looked to the south and indicated that he could see the ridge to the south
Probable cause
The instrument rated pilot’s loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
More accidents in WA
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Sep 4, 2022
- Cessna 208B, Oct 8, 2007
- Cessna 172P, Dec 7, 1991
- Piper PA-32-260, Jul 29, 2001
- Beech A60, Nov 21, 1992
Browse: Washington · 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.
