Piper PA-28-161 N29216
25 July 1989 · Stonington, Connecticut, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 25 July 1989 at about 02:36 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N29216, operated by Michael Kahlman, was involved in an accident near Stonington, Connecticut, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stonington, Connecticut, United States
- Nearest airport
- Westerly State (WST)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161
- Registration
- N29216
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Michael Kahlman
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Westerly → Hartford
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- Unk
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- NYC89LA174
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (DARK NIGHT & FOG) AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT OBTAINED WX INFO. NO WX RPRT WAS AVAILABLE FOR THE DEP ARPT, BUT THE DESTN (HARTFORD, CT) WAS RPRTD AS CLEAR. THE PLT SAID HE WAS INFORMED ON UNICOM FREQ THAT THERE WAS ONLY GROUND FOG IN RHODE ISLAND, WHICH SHOULDNOT HAVE INTERFERED WITH HIS FLT TO HARTFORD. AFTER PREFLIGHTING THE ACFT, HE 'OBSERVED THE STARS DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AND CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS JUST GROUND FOG.' ALSO, THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT HAD CLIMBED TO 200 FT MSL WHEN HE SUDDENLY REALIZED THE DENSITY OF THE FOG WAS THICKER THAN RPRTD OR ANTICIPATED. (THE ARPT ELEV WAS 81 FT.) HE SAID HE THEN EXPERIENCED VERTIGO (SPATIAL DISORIENTATION) & LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT THE TOPS OF TREES & CRASHED IN THE PAWCATUCK RIVER. AS THE ACFT SANK, THE OCCUPANTS EGRESSED, THEN SWAM TO A DOCK WHERE THEY RCVD HELP.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jul 1989 | Piper PA-28-161 | Beverly, Massachusetts, United States | Beverly Flight Center, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1989 | Piper PA-28 | Delavan, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Oct 1989 | Piper PA-28-161 | Elkader, Iowa, United States | Pritts Aviation | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Jan 1989 | Piper PA-28-180 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Michael J. Belica | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jul 1989 | Piper PA-28-160 | Hammond, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1989 | Piper PA-28-180 | Ashland, Virginia, United States | A & S Flying Services | Fatal | 1 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 1989 | Piper PA-32-300 | Danbury, Connecticut, United States | Miles B Reese | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 1989 | Cessna R172K | Griswold, Connecticut, United States | Freedom Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1989 | Schweizer SGS-2-32 | Plymouth, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1989 | Piper PA-32-300 | Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 May 1989 | Smith MINI DSA-1 | Sterling, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Hancock MINI-MAX II | Chester, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |