VFR into IMC · NTSB CEN10FA557
PIPER PA-44-180 — Woodruff, WI
| Date | September 24, 2010 |
| Location | Woodruff, WI |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA-44-180 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 26 |
| Pilot total time | 936 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 2 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-Spatial disorientation-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Clouds-Effect on operation - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-Convective turbulence-Effect on operation - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Recent instrument experience-Pilot - C
What happened
The accident occurred during a night cross-country flight in instrument meteorological conditions with reported moderate turbulence. Review of air traffic control data indicated that the instrument-rated pilot had difficulty navigating from the initial approach fix to the final approach fix. Radar track data showed that the pilot initially turned the wrong direction and ultimately made several course reversals that were not in accordance with the published approach procedure. Radar data also indicated that the pilot had difficulty maintaining an altitude appropriate for the segment of the approach; the airplane's altitude increased and decreased in excess of 500 feet. In addition, on several instances, the pilot allowed the airplane to descend below the prescribed minimum altitudes for the approach. The airplane eventually impacted a river in an uncontrolled descent about ½ mile north of the final approach fix. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
During a recent checkout in the accident airplane, the pilot demonstrated a lack of instrument flight proficiency, and following the checkout, he was authorized to rent the accident airplane for visual flight rules (VFR) flights only. The flight instructor who provided the checkout flight reported that the pilot had difficulty maintaining situational awareness and aircraft control when flying only by reference to the flight instruments.