14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, February 12, 2016 in Sturgis, SD
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/06/2016
Aircraft: PIPER PA24, registration: N6691P
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that he was conducting an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions. Upon reaching the decision altitude, the front seat passenger reported the runway was in front of the airplane. The pilot looked up from the instruments, but could not see the runway out the windscreen or the side window. Referring back to the flight instruments, the pilot noted that the airplane was level, but he was unable to determine the airplane's altitude and did not know where the airplane was in relation to the runway. The pilot then applied full engine power and began to climb the airplane; however, the airplane's right wing impacted a light pole. The airplane immediately pitched nose-down and descended into terrain. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and that the accident could have been prevented if he had immediately executed a missed approach at the decision altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to execute the published missed approach procedure in a timely manner, which resulted in collision with a light pole and subsequent impact with terrain.
On February 12, 2016 about 1215 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N6691P, impacted a light pole and terrain while executing a missed approach at the Sturgis Municipal Airport (49B) in Sturgis, South Dakota. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a day, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident at the airport and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS) in Jamestown, North Dakota.
The pilot reported that he was conducting the RNAV (GPS) RWY 29 instrument approach procedure. During the descent to the Decision Altitude (DA), he said that the autopilot system was engaged and that he encountered light ice at 4700 feet mean sea level. He reported that he kept the needles centered to the DA of 3530 feet, and the passenger in the front right seat stated that "the runway was in front of us." The pilot reported he looked up from the instruments, he did not see the runway, and the passenger stated that "we were above the runway." The pilot said that he looked out the side window and did not see the runway, and while returning his view to the instruments he noted that his airspeed was stable at 120 knots and the wings were level.
The pilot reported that he referred to the altimeter but was unable to determine his altitude and told the passenger that he did not know where he was. The passenger stated that the "runway was to the left," and the pilot stated he went full throttle and began to climb. He reported at the moment of applying throttle and beginning to climb, the right wing impacted a light pole located on the airport. He said that the airplane immediately pitched down, and he held the ailerons neutral and used "severe" rudder movements to keep the wings as level as possible. He said there was a "severe" left bank tendency. Just prior to impact, he "yelled to brace and we both crossed our arms in front of our faces and pulled our feet back from the rudders." The airplane then impacted terrain, coming to rest in a ditch about 950 feet to the north of the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported that "when the runway was not visible to the pilot in command at decision altitude, an immediate missed approach should have been executed." He also reported that "excessive head movement should be avoided at all times during the transition from instrument meteorological conditions to visual meteorological conditions."
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), about 21 nautical miles to the southeast, which reported at the time of the accident that the wind was 7 knots from 140 degrees, visibility was 1 statue mile, and a 200 foot overcast ceiling. The weather station also reported the presence of light drizzle and moderate mist.
The pilot reported that the weather conditions at the accident site were a variable wind condition, visibility of 0.25 statue mile, and a 500 foot overcast ceiling. He also reported that fog was present along with light ice.
A photograph taken by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector at the accident site showed ice accumulation on the leading edge of the airplane's horizontal stabilizer in addition to fog present at the accident site.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane wreckage was located about 950 feet north of the departure end of runway 29. The initial impact point was a 50 foot light pole located in the north corner of a ramp located on the airport, about 1,180 feet behind the airplane's wreckage to the southeast. The bottom of the fuselage exhibited damage consistent with impacting terrain. The airplane's right wing leading edge had an impact mark about mid-span, which was consistent with impact marks found on the light pole. The impact marks on the light pole were about 39 feet above the ground. The airplane's left wing, about 6 feet inboard from the wing tip was partially separated, which was consistent with the pilot's statement about both wings striking fence posts.
The light pole was located in the north corner of a ramp, about 765 feet northeast of the departure end of the runway. An image is located in the public docket to illustrate the location of the light pole in relation to the runway.
SURVIVAL FACTORS
The pilot reported that both he and his passenger had 3-point restraint systems available in the airplane and that they both utilized a lap belt only. The pilot reported that he and his passenger sustained head lacerations and that the passenger sustained serious injuries to her neck.
The FAA has published Advisory Circular (AC) 21-34 Shoulder Harness – Safety Belt Installations (1993). This AC discusses the benefits of utilizing a shoulder harness and states in part:
Accident experience has provided substantial evidence that use of a shoulder harness in conjunction with a safety belt can reduce serious injuries to the head, neck, and upper torso of aircraft occupants and has the potential to reduce fatalities of occupants involved in an otherwise survivable accident.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Instrument Approach Procedure Minimums
The FAA has published FAA-H-8083-15B Instrument Flying Handbook (2012). This handbook discusses instrument approach procedure minimums and states in part:
Pilots may not operate an aircraft at any airport below the authorized minimum descent altitude (MDA) or continue an approach below the authorized decision altitude (DA)/decision height (DH) unless:
1. The aircraft is continuously in a position from which a descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made at a normal descent rate using normal maneuvers;
2. The flight visibility is not less than that prescribed for the approach procedure being used; and
3. At least one of the following visual references for the intended runway is visible and identifiable to the pilot: Approach light system, threshold, threshold markings, threshold lights, runway end identifier lights, visual approach slope indicator, touchdown zone or touchdown zone markings, touchdown zone lights, runway or runway markings, and runway lights.
Missed Approaches
FAA-H-8083-15B Instrument Flying Handbook also discusses missed approaches and states in part:
A missed approach point is formulated for each published instrument approach and allows the pilot to return to the airway structure while remaining clear of obstacles.
Pilots should immediately execute the missed approach point:
1. Whenever the requirements for operating below DA/DH or MDA are not met when the aircraft is below MDA, or upon arrival at the MAP and at any time after that until touchdown;
2. Whenever an identifiable part of the airport is not visible to the pilot during a circling maneuver at or
above MDA; or
3. When so directed by air traffic control.
NTSB Identification: GAA16LA128
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, February 12, 2016 in Sturgis, SD
Aircraft: PIPER PA24, registration: N6691P
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On February 12, 2016 about 1215 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N6691P, impacted a light pole and terrain while executing a missed approach at the Sturgis Municipal Airport (49B) in Sturgis, South Dakota. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a day, instrument flight rules personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident at the airport and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS) in Jamestown, North Dakota.
The pilot reported that he was conducting an area navigation global positioning system (RNAV GPS) instrument approach to runway 29. During the descent to the decision altitude, he reported that the passenger in the right seat could see the runway, but he could not see the runway from the left seat. He stated that as the airplane descended closer to the decision altitude, he became "disoriented." The pilot stated that he "looked out to the left and then forward" and that he was "unable to understand the instruments and compute his altitude and airspeed."
The pilot reported he executed the missed approach procedure and that the airplane "settled and drifted." The airplane impacted a light pole and then impacted terrain, coming to rest in a ditch about 1000 feet to the northwest of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
STURGIS, S.D. - A quick thinking father saved his daughter -- and himself -- Friday in a plane crash near Sturgis in nasty weather.
Reese Kor of Piedmont was flying his daughter home from the University of Jamestown in North Dakota. Ice pellets and fog caused him to rethink his approach and he pulled up but hit a power line pole.
He managed to keep the Piper PA-24-250 Comanche level as it crash landed about half a mile from the Sturgis Municipal Airport.
Kor and his daughter Sidney sustained only minor head injuries.
Sidney Kor said she was never worried during the tense moments. "I had complete faith in my dad," she said. The FAA and the Meade County Sheriff's office are investigating the crash.
Reese Kor, of Piedmont, was the pilot of the light plane that crashed Friday afternoon near the Sturgis Municipal Airport.
A press release issued late Sunday morning from the Meade County Sheriff's Office identified both the pilot and the passenger, Sidney Kor. The release said, "The extent of their injuries (is) unknown at this time."
Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane is registered to Reese Kor, of Piedmont.
The release said the plane crashed at about 12:20 p.m. Friday as it was "attempting to gain altitude due to unsafe landing conditions caused by weather."
The right wing of the plane, a Piper 24, apparently hit a power pole, Tony Molinaro of the FAA said at the scene. The two people in the plane were taken to Sturgis Regional Hospital. A source at the hospital Sunday evening told a reporter to call Rapid City Regional Hospital on Monday for information on their conditions.
Source: http://rapidcityjournal.com
Low visibility may have contributed to the crash of a small plane near Sturgis just after noon Friday.
Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA was investigating the crash, which occurred just across Alkali Road north of the Sturgis Municipal Airport, estimated at about a half-mile from the airport runway.
"While making an approach, a Piper PA-24-250 Comanche aircraft struck a (power) pole with its right wing," Molinaro said.
Molinaro said he did not know to whom the aircraft was registered.
Two people, a man and a woman, were taken by ambulance to Sturgis Regional Hospital following the crash.
Neither the names of those involved nor their conditions have been released.
Susan Sanders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Rapid City, said that visibility at the time of the crash, at 12:22 p.m., would have been about a quarter-mile.
“It was fine until about 7:30 a.m., then the fog started rolling in as the winds switched to the east,” she said.
Precipitation, in the form of freezing ice pellets, was falling in the area at the time and the temperature was 26 degrees.
Meade County Deputy Chris Williams confirmed the aircraft was coming from the east, but had no other details.
“We haven’t had the opportunity to visit with the pilot yet,” Williams said at the scene.
Source: http://rapidcityjournal.com
STURGIS, S.D. (AP) - Federal aviation officials are trying to determine what led a small plane to crash near Sturgis.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the Piper 24 struck a power pole about half a mile from the runway at Sturgis Municipal Airport.
A man and a woman were taken by ambulance to Sturgis Regional Hospital following the crash. Police say the two are in ''fair'' condition. Their names have not been released.
Authorities say the two were attempting to land at the airport in low-visibility conditions.
National Weather Service meteorologist Susan Sanders says visibility at the time of the crash would have been about a quarter of a mile.
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