Piper PA-28RT-201T N2194Y

Summary

On 26 April 1996 at about 15:00 local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T registered N2194Y was involved in an accident near Columbus, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 April 1996 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbus, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.6994, -96.5502

Aircraft

Piper PA-28RT-201T

Registration

N2194Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA193

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper inflight planning/decision to continue the flight instead of returning to the takeoff airport after encountering adverse weather. Factors were: the inaccurate weather forecast, the low ceiling and the lack of suitable terrain for the precautionary landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated private pilot made a precautionary landing in a field after encountering unforecast low ceilings during a cross-country flight. The preflight weather briefing indicated there were no precautions or advisories applicable to the proposed route of flight. According to the pilot, after 15 minutes of cruise flight, he 'realized' that he was on top of an overcast cloud layer. He 'made a u-turn,' and 'after working [his] way back down,' found the ceiling was about 700 feet AGL. He elected to divert to the nearest airport, but was unable to locate the airport and landed in a pasture. The airplane collided with a ditch during the landing roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.