Piper PA-46-350P N800CE

Summary

On 22 January 1996 at about 22:14 local time, a Piper PA-46-350P registered N800CE was involved in an accident near Carlyle, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 January 1996 at 22:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlyle, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

38.6099, -89.3690

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-350P

Registration

N800CE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Des Moines → Nashville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI96FA083

1 person died.

spatial disorientation of the pilot, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane, which resulted in his exceeding the design stress limits of the airframe. A factor relating to the accident was: turbulence in clouds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During flight, the airplane was cruising at flight level 210 in IFR conditions with turbulence and with the wind from about 255 degrees at 70 knots. The airplane drifted off course at about 1600 cst. At 1610:09, after about ten minutes of unrecognized heading changes, the pilot stated '. . . I've lost my gyro.' At 1610:15, the controller issued a no-gyro vector. At 1611:29, as the airplane was still turning (to a heading that would intercept the original course), the pilot stated 'we've lost aLL our instruments . . . please direct me towards VFR.' He was cleared to descend to 14,000 feet. At about that same time, he stated 'we're in trouble' and 'we've lost all vacuum,' then there was no further radio transmission from the airplane. The airplane entered a steep, downward spiraling, right turn. The left outer wing panel separated up and aft (in flight) from overload and impacted the left stabilizer. The airplane crashed, and parts that separated from the airplane were found over a four mile area. Investigation revealed evidence that the HSI heading card can fail without the HDG flag appearing. Although the pilot had reported the loss of instruments and vacuum, examination of the airplane revealed that the engine, flight controls, electrical system, pitot/static system and vacuum systems exhibited continuity. No malfunction was found that would have led to loss of pressurization or hypoxia.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.