Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kit Carson, Colorado 80825
Sunday, August 16, 1992 20:50 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THERE IS NO RECORD THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT OBTAINED AN FAA WEATHER BRIEFING OR FILED A FLIGHT PLAN BEFORE DEPARTING HUTCHISON, KS, ENROUTE TO COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND TWO DAYS LATER SCATTERED 0.7 MILES IN AN OPEN FIELD. PIECES OF THE RIGHT WING, HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, AND CABIN ROOF WERE FOUND STREWN ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH. THE LEFT WING AND VERTICAL STABILIZER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRPLANE BY CONTROL CABLES. THE CABIN WAS GUTTED BY FIRE. THE RIGHT WING SPAR STUB WAS BENT DOWN AND AFT. THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR STUB WAS BENT DOWN AND AFT, AND THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR STUB WAS BENT UP AND AFT. THE PILOT WAS KNOWN TO USE HIS STRIKE FINDER TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THUNDERSTORMS. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA OF KIT CARSON AT THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. MAXIMUM INTENSITY WAS LEVEL SIX.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED AND EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING, HIS ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO A LEVEL SIX THUNDERSTORM, AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT TIME.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/16/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2050 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | KIT CARSON |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 80825 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2896 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 18 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1725 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 47740 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:12PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8175Z |
| NTSB Number | DEN92FA085 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32-301T |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32-301T |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32-8024014 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 7 1991 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MCKENZIE, JOSEPH A. & MARY E. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1933 PAYTON CIRCLE |
| Aircraft Owner City | COLORADO SPRING |
| Aircraft Owner State | CO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 80915 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MCKENZIE, JOSEPH A. & MARY E. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 1933 PAYTON CIRCLE |
| Operator City | COLORADO SPRING |
| Operator State | CO |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 80915 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | HUT |
| Departure City | HUTCHISON |
| Departure State | KS |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2000 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | COS |
| Destination City | COLORADO SPRING |
| Destination State | CO |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |