Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN18FA359
Piper PA28R — Kaplan, LA
| Date | August 31, 2018 |
| Location | Kaplan, LA |
| Aircraft | Piper PA28R |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 45 |
| Pilot total time | 6,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 100 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tower/antenna (incl guy wires)-Awareness of condition - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tower/antenna (incl guy wires)-Effect on operation - C
What happened
The airline transport pilot and his daughter departed in day visual meteorological conditions with the morning sun located behind the airplane. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the airplane impacted a charted, 1,793-ft-tall television/radio tower about 200 ft below the apex of the tower. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot and his wife were in the process of divorce. The pilot's wife was very concerned after the pilot and her daughter departed without notice several weeks before the accident. The pilot had become unresponsive to phone calls from his work supervisor and had been making unauthorized purchases with his work credit card before the accident. On the day before the accident, the pilot's attorney informed the pilot that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
A direct course from the departure airport to the pilot's home airport was over 5 miles south of the tower. Although a surveillance video and witness statements indicated that the tower's lighting was erratic, the tower was adequately lit, and the visibility of the tower was not a factor in the accident.