New Glasair GLASTAR N628RS

Summary

On 12 October 2021 at about 14:30 local time, a New Glasair GLASTAR registered N628RS was involved in an accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 October 2021 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

42.9345, -88.2314

Aircraft

New Glasair GLASTAR

Registration

N628RS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2017

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milwaukee → Salina

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22FA013

2 people died.

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to depart and continue flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated pilot departed under special visual flight rules into prevailing instrument meteorological conditions. About 2 hours before the flight, the pilot received a weather briefing that included an AIRMET for instrument flight rules conditions due to precipitation and mist. Although the departure airport was reporting cloud ceilings at 900 ft above ground level (agl) about the time of departure, nearby airports were reporting ceilings at 400 ft agl and visibilities of 3 miles in mist. The pilot departed and maintained an altitude of about 1,200 ft mean sea level (msl), which was about 300-400 ft agl. The departure controller in communication with the pilot noted that the airplane had started to climb and asked if there was a gap in the cloud ceiling and whether he was attempting to climb above the clouds. The pilot responded in the affirmative. The airplane climbed to about 2,600 ft msl before it entered a left spiraling descent and subsequently impacted a residential area. Variations in track data during the flight were inconsistent with the pilot using the airplane’s autopilot. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The reduced visibility and low cloud conditions present at the time of the accident were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation, and the airplane’s spiraling descent is consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot entered instrument meteorological conditions while attempting to climb above the clouds, experienced spatial disorientation, and subsequently lost control of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.