Navion NAVION A N4898K

Summary

On 7 August 2009 at about 19:00 local time, a Navion NAVION A registered N4898K was involved in an accident near Adrian, Oregon, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 2009 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Adrian, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

43.4392, -117.0853

Aircraft

Navion NAVION A

Registration

N4898K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jerome → Ilwaco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09FA391

3 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control while in cruise flight due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an exceedence of the design stress limits of the aircraft and led to an in-flight structural failure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot departed on the 530-mile cross-country flight and headed west toward mountainous terrain. Recorded data plots from the pilot's Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver disclosed that after following a river in the valley, he began to fly over mountainous terrain that comprised the western landscape. Shortly thereafter, the pilot made a 180-degree course reversal, which was presumably done in an effort to circumnavigate inclement weather conditions. After continuing northeast for about 13 miles, the pilot began to head west again over the mountains. The flight continued for 26 miles and the airplane made a steep right turn, creating a "hook" type flight path. The last radar plots show a sudden increase in elevation, which is likely where the airplane began to breakup in flight. The wreckage was located about 2,000 feet in front of the last radar hit and about 3,700 feet below the last recorded altitude; it was inside the hook-shaped flight path. A weather facility located about 13 miles from the accident site, reported overcast cloud conditions at 2,900 feet above ground level (agl) about 20 minutes prior to the accident. Satellite imagery depicted an extensive area of nimbostratus clouds over the accident site and the observations surrounding indicated light rain and mist were present. The wreckage debris was scattered over an estimated 1,000-foot area of hilly terrain. At the beginning of the debris field were large sections of the right wing, with the far north area containing the engine, in indication that the right wing likely departed the airplane first. A post accident examination revealed that the wings and tail section showed evidence of a positive overload deformation pattern, with indications of upward bending of the wings and downward bending of the horizontal stabilizer. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure with the engine or airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.