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Cases › CEN12FA097 · Part 135 fatal

PIPER PA-32-260GREAT LAKES AIR INC

St. Ignace, MI, USA · 2011-12-04·N33315

2
fatal
0
serious
Fatal
highest injury
Substantial
damage
AnalyseThe analystOne timeline · precedents · ask the docket · what the record saysGenerateInvestigation briefFacts, cause, recorder extremes, sequence, sourcesSourceNTSB docket31 documents on data.ntsb.gov

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

The pilot departed the mainland to drop a passenger off on an island located about 5 miles off shore. The pilot did not land on the island but was returning to the departure airport with the passenger still on board when the airplane contacted trees and terrain about 1.4 miles north of the departure airport. According to witnesses and weather observations, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at both the departure and destination airports around the time of the accident, including rain and fog conditions. The flight was being operated under night visual flight rules. The accident site was located between a brightly lit casino/hotel resort and the airport. The pilot most likely located the casino/hotel and was following the shoreline back to the airport when the accident occurred. A witness reported hearing the airplane before the impact. No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane were identified that would have precluded normal operation.

Photographs

16the aircraft, and what the investigators found
Wreckage and site documentation · 16 photographs from the docket

Photographs are NTSB docket attachments — works of the US government, in the public domain. Captions are the Board’s own.

Probable cause

the Board's determination
The pilot’s decision to initiate visual flight in instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent failure to maintain adequate altitude.

Occurrence sequence

2 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy
  1. 1 · Maneuvering
    Loss of control in flight
    defining event
  2. 2 · Uncontrolled descent
    Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)

Findings

2 causal · 3 contributing
  • CAUSE
    Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude — Not attained/maintained
  • CAUSE
    Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment — Pilot
  • FACTOR
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Drizzle/mist — Effect on operation
  • FACTOR
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog — Effect on operation
  • FACTOR
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark — Effect on operation

NTSB analysis

from the final report

The pilot departed the mainland to drop a passenger off on an island located about 5 miles off shore. The pilot did not land on the island but was returning to the departure airport with the passenger still on board when the airplane contacted trees and terrain about 1.4 miles north of the departure airport. According to witnesses and weather observations, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at both the departure and destination airports around the time of the accident, including rain and fog conditions. The flight was being operated under night visual flight rules. The accident site was located between a brightly lit casino/hotel resort and the airport. The pilot most likely located the casino/hotel and was following the shoreline back to the airport when the accident occurred. A witness reported hearing the airplane before the impact. No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane were identified that would have precluded normal operation.