Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Columbus, Ohio
Piper Aircraft; Vero Beach, Florida
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N793MA
Location: Waterford, OH
Accident Number: CEN17FA258
Date & Time: 07/08/2017, 0942 EDT
Registration: N793MA
Aircraft: PIPER PA 28-181
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On July 8, 2017, at 0942 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, N793MA, impacted the Muskingum River Fly Ash Reservoir near Waterford, Ohio. The private pilot and the passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and the cross-country flight was operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The airplane departed Logansport/Cass County Airport (GGP), Logansport, Indiana, at 0758 and was en route to Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport (PKB), Parkersburg, West Virginia.
According to air traffic control and radar information, the airplane was in cruise flight about 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl) until the initial descent to PKB began at 0933. The airplane began a steady descent and proceeded toward OWAVE, the initial approach fix for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 21 approach to PKB. The final 2.5 minutes of the radar data revealed several sharp turns left and right (figure 1). The last radar point recorded the airplane at 0942 at 2,950 ft msl, about 2,100 ft above ground level (agl), which was 0.5 miles northeast of the accident site. The accident site is marked with the yellow pin in figure 1.
Figure 1 – Flight Path
A witness, who was 0.78 nautical mile southwest of the accident site (as shown in figure 1), reported that low overcast clouds were present as he heard the airplane fly overhead. The airplane then exited the clouds in a steep angle of descent with the engine operating at "full rpm, full power." The airplane disappeared behind a tree line; he heard a thud sound, and the engine noise stopped. Only a few seconds elapsed between the airplane descending out of the clouds and the thud sound.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age:63, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/28/2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 11/01/2015
Flight Time: (Estimated) 1100 hours (Total, all aircraft)
Remnants of a pilot logbook were recovered from the reservoir but were not legible. According to the application for his most recent medical certificate on March 28, 2016, the pilot's total flight experience was 1,100 hours. His instrument flight experience is unknown. The pilot's flight instructor provided copies of his logbook, which showed that the pilot and flight instructor flew 7 flights in the accident airplane from April 2015 to March 2017. The flights totaled 7.95 hours and included 17 instrument approaches: 12 instrument landing system (ILS), 4 very-high omnidirectional range (VOR), and 1 GPS approach. The pilot's most recent logged instrument flight was on March 11, 2017, during which he completed 2 ILS and 1 VOR approach.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N793MA
Model/Series: PA 28-181 181
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1998
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal; Utility
Serial Number: 2843193
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 07/15/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C91 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-360-A4M
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
The pilot's flight instructor reported that he flew the airplane on July 26, 2016, from Indianapolis to GGP. He stated that the autopilot worked in the wings-level roll mode but would not hold a heading. The instructor did not report if the autopilot was placarded inoperative or if any subsequent maintenance had been performed to fix the issue.
The airplane maintenance logbooks did not contain any entries regarding the autopilot.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation:PKB, 615 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site:19 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 0953 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 163°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 1200 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 280°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 29.98 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C / 17°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: LOGANSPORT, IN (GGP)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: PARKERSBURG, WV (PKB)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 0758 EDT
Type of Airspace: Air Traffic Control; Class E
The weather conditions near the accident location included overcast ceilings between 1,200 and 1,500 ft agl (2,000 to 2,300 ft msl). The cloud tops across the region were 6,200 ft to 6,900 ft msl.
An area forecast for southwestern Ohio forecasted overcast clouds at 2,000 ft msl and overcast clouds at 5,000 ft msl with cloud tops to 10,000 ft msl. An AIRMET for IFR conditions was active for the accident location at the accident time.
Airport Information
Airport: MID-OHIO VALLEY RGNL (PKB)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 858 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Unknown
Runway Used: 21
IFR Approach: Global Positioning System
Runway Length/Width: 7240 ft / 150 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 39.575556, -81.690278 (est)
The accident site was in the Muskingum River Fly Ash Reservoir, and the wreckage was submerged in about 5 ft of water. The wreckage debris field was generally oriented west to east. A fuel sheen was observed on top of the water near the wreckage. The wreckage was recovered by divers and pulled to the shore.
A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane had separated into three main sections. The largest section, shown in figure 2, consisted of the engine, fuselage, and empennage. The next section consisted of most of the right wing, and the last section consisted of a small section of the left wing.
Figure 2 – Airplane wreckage with the reservoir in the background
Several small pieces of airplane debris were also recovered from other areas of the reservoir. No electronic devices were found with the wreckage.
A distinct needle impact mark on the face of the airspeed indicator was observed near 153 kts indication, which was just below the redline. The altimeter barometric pressure was set to 29.98 inches of mercury. The other instruments were significantly damage during the accident sequence, and their final positions were unreliable.
The vacuum pump remained attached to the engine, and no external damage was noted. The pump was partially disassembled, and the composite drive assembly, carbon rotor, and carbon vanes were intact. The electric auxiliary vacuum pump was not found with the recovered wreckage.
The propeller remained attached to the engine crankshaft flange. The propeller spinner was crushed. One propeller blade remained intact, was curled aft about 100°, and exhibited longitudinal twisting. The other blade was twisted, curled aft about 90°, and was fractured about 1 ft from the tip; the separated tip was not found.
The postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical And Pathological Information
The Montgomery County Coroner's Office, Dayton, Ohio, completed an autopsy on the pilot, and the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Significant coronary artery disease was identified with 95% atherosclerotic stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 10% atherosclerotic stenosis of the left circumflex and right coronary arteries. The remainder of the examination of the heart was unremarkable; there was no evidence of previous ischemia.
Toxicology testing performed by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office identified but did not quantify ethanol in the pilot's liver. Toxicology testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, identified irbesartan and metoprolol in muscle and metoprolol and pravastatin in liver, none of which are considered impairing. No ethanol was found in liver or brain tissue.
Irbesartan is a prescription medication used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It is also used to treat kidney disease caused by diabetes in patients with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Pravastatin is a prescription medication used together with diet, weight-loss, and exercise to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood and to increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood.
Metoprolol is a prescription medication used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It also is used to prevent angina (chest pain) and to improve survival after a heart attack. Metoprolol also is used in combination with other medications to treat heart failure.
WIND AND FLYING
SKY IS THE LIMIT.....
May 26, 2017
Umamaheswara Rao Kalapatapu
I came to know more about the power of wind since I started learning to fly in Late 1990s. On the ground all the locomotion happens with touching / kissing the ground, which also helps to resist the movement by wind currents.
However in the air, it is totally different. Same applies when the object is on / or in the water.
Taking off and landing with wind coming towards the plane - headwind or we call it flying into the wind - is much more efficient. Tail wind on the other hand helps the plane to get to the destination faster and saves fuel. My plane at its maximum speed in no wind situation can go 120 nautical miles per hour ( knots) but with a 30 knot headwind it can drop to 90 knots: if it is the same strength tail wind, I will be going at 150 knots.
Winds are predominantly westerly for USA. So if some one goes to Europe or Asia their trip will be an hour or two longer when they come back to USA.
South and west winds in northern hemisphere of earth are considered usually favorable. south winds bring warmth.
North and east winds in northern hemisphere are a sign of possible bad weather. North arctic winds are strong in winter and bring all the snow.
Although pilots wish always to fly with tail wind, some times " it is always the head wind " . It is not the pilot's or even plane's greatness, but when you arrive sooner than the Estimated Time of Arrival ( ETA) the credit should go to the tail wind.
Pilots always fly at the maximum speed unlike cars (my Mercedes Benz can go 160 MPH but the rules won't let me go beyond 70 MPH). this is one place you can confidently tell your spouse that you are flying at the maximum speed and if you want more speed " time to get me a faster plane ! "
I live on a lake and the ducks always take off and land into the wind. They must be watching the water waves also to determine the head wind direction???
Runways are build after monitoring and recording the winds for about a year or so to determine the predominant winds for that area. If place is a small town or the budget is tight, only one runway will be built.
But in bigger cities more than one runway particularly to have at least 4 different directions: if not 6, of possible take offs and landings are built.
Water landing is actually convenient but the gear you needed to land has to be carried with the water plane all the time which causes less favorable aerodynamic situation to be flying efficiently in the air.
But what if in one runway airport if strong wind is coming at right angle to the runway? These winds are " crosswinds " , which make it difficult for the air crafts to land or take off. The strength of wind that can cause problems is usually directly proportional to the size of the plane. If my plane can handle only 21 knots of crosswind, a jumbo jet would be able to handle even 50 knots. Early in my flying days, my instructor Sam wanted me to land in nearby Peru airport which has North/ south runway than Logansport which has East / West runway due to strong north winds that day. Recently when I am flying from Fort Wayne In to Logansport, Radar services advised of severe turbulence in the pathway and they diverted me around the bad weather.
Some times depending on the direction of the cross wind it may also act as head wind or tail wind.. so pilots choose the closest heading to the direction of the cross wind.
To get the plane land in cross wind the aileron of the the wing has to be turned in the direction of cross wind and with the foot opposite rudder has to be pushed to the floor.
Some times also use a " crab angle " until the near end of the runway before the final adjustment to align with runway...
In Sweazy, IN there is a half mile concrete circular runway, used by military operations at one time. A plane can land in any direction depending on the wind direction.
On warships the runways are not numbered for obvious reasons, the runway direction depends on the orientation of the ship.
There are two types of winds: Surface winds and Winds aloft. The later is the wind in atmosphere. Usually pilots are briefed 3 levels : 3, 6 and 9,000 ft. Above 8,000 ft usually the winds get thin.
So the jets go 20 to 30,00 ft so travelers will have little discomfort. The pilot can chose the altitude where winds become more favorable.
Pilots on the ground watch the flags, and wind socks to know wind direction, little above smoking stacks of factories and up above, their instruments tell the power of wind..when I was looking at smoke one day Sam said " I know you are thinking like a pilot " during training...
During day time sun heats the surface of the earth and consequently hot air goes to the higher altitude and cold air comes below and gets heated and thus churn like boiling water and create turbulence. So big planes choose red eye or flights close to midnight to avoid panic in passengers. . Sam used to tell me when he saw uncomfortable feeling in "choppy " weather during day time training, " you must be used to this.. roughness .. by now "
However every plane big or small has a yielding point to the force of wind. No plane is immune to the wind force. So the stormy weather makes cancel the flights, go around the weather etc.
But still I get amazed to see weather people going in to the eye of the hurricane where wind is calm... they have mighty machines which are super pricey..
When a big jet leaves the runway , it creates quite a bit of disturbance in the airmass behind which willcause the next plane behind, especially if it is a small plane to crease what is called " wake turbulence " So small plan has to wait a few minutes to let the winds die down before taking of.
What is mind boggling to me is to see a small sparrow in a storm with 70 knot wind landing on a branch of a violently moving tree...
One time I was flying with my wife near Morgan Town West Virginia after a storm cleared. it was a bright sunny day. Suddenly the plane started climbing on its own and I gained 2,000 ft altitude. Soon I started losing altitude fast with our doing anything.. lost like 3,000 ft this time. Radar staff announced that I should either maintain the altitude or land somewhere. Soon I got the control of the plane. These are dangerous " updrafts " and " downdrafts "
commercial pilots dread about. Imagine a 747 is in landing configuration and 3000 ft above the ground. a strong down draft can cause a plane crash....
When flying over mountains such as Appalachians, or Rockies, one may experience serious sudden weather changes.
One time I was landing at Meig's airport in Chicago ( when it was still in operation - I miss it terribly.. you can land your plane, walk to famous Chicago Michigan Avenue for shopping and walk back to airport... the closure was due to real estate people who felt it is waste of gold mine to use as a airstrip in the heart of Chicago ). On final approach the tower announced change of runway... I was almost landing, needed to go round and land on the opposite side of the run way. Sudden change - " wind shear " makes the wind velocity and direction different with in a matter of minutes,.... It is also common near a large body of water .. in this case the mighty Lake Michigan..
I watch the weather now to fly my kite too....
I get amused seeing the parent eagles training their little ones in the mid air. The parent carries on the back the little one for just a short while and suddenly dive down so the young one will fly and let them land on their back by going straight up: toss them into air and repeat this feat for quite some time to learn them fly....
Equally amazing and unimaginable is mid-air refueling of planes especially in the military operations.
Man learns constantly from the birds about flying... designs the wings of the plane similar to the wings of the birds... always keeps raising the bar.......
SKY IS THE LIMIT.....
May 26, 2017
Umamaheswara Rao Kalapatapu
BEVERLY, Ohio— Authorities have identified an Indian American couple from Indiana as having died when a small plane crash crashed into a retention pond in southeastern Ohio.
The State Highway Patrol said July 10 that the 63-year-old pilot, Umamahesware Kalapatapu, and his 61-year-old wife, Sitha-Gita Kalapatapu, were the only ones on the Piper Archer PA-28. The plane carrying the Logansport, Indiana, couple crashed July 8 near the Washington County village of Beverly, about 75 miles southeast of Columbus.
Umamaheswara Kalapatapu was a contract psychiatrist at the Bowen Center in Warsaw, Indiana. He has worked there since 1993, according to The Bowen Center’s website.
The Bowen Center replied to a NewsChannel 15 tweet to offer condolences to the Kalapatapu family: “It is with great sadness we have been informed about the loss of Dr. Kalapatapu and his wife. We offer our condolences to friends & family.”
Authorities said the last contact with the plane headed to an airport near Parkersburg, West Virginia, from Cass County, Indiana, was around 10:30 a.m. July 8 morning. It was reported missing about noon.
Searchers found the wreckage in the afternoon of the same day.
There was no word on what caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
WATERFORD, Ohio (WTAP) - UPDATE: 7/9/2017 5:42 P.M.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident, which involved a Piper PA-28-181 aircraft.
Divers spent Sunday recovering parts of the plane.
The number of people on board and their identities have not been released.
ORIGINAL STORY: 7/8/17
The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center has requested assistance from the West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol for its search of an aircraft reported missing Saturday morning.
The aircraft was in route from Logansport, Indiana to Parkersburg.
Radar lost contact with the aircraft at 9:43 a.m.
A Civil Air Patrol aircrew has been searching in a pond near the AEP Waterford Facility since approximately noon.
The Marietta Fire Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Beverly Volunteer Department, Little Hocking Fire and Rescue Dive Team, and Washington County Sheriff's Office are on scene.
http://www.thenewscenter.tv
A small plane crashed into a retention pond Saturday, killing two people near Beverly in northern Washington County.
The remains of an unidentified man and woman have been recovered.
A dive team from Little Hocking was still combing the underwater crash site Sunday, which is located near a defunct American Electric Power plant, according to Sgt. Garick Warner of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Marietta Post.
The crash occurred sometime Saturday morning.
The private plane is believed to be a missing plane carrying two people that was headed to Parkersburg, West Virginia, from an airport north of Indianapolis. It never arrived at its scheduled time of 10:30 a.m., Warner said.
Highway Patrol was notified and a search began at about 12:45 p.m., he said. The wreckage was discovered at about 2 p.m. with help from Beverly-Waterford Rescue Squad. The West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol said the plane lost radar contact at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
http://www.dispatch.com
BEVERLY — Crews have found occupants of a plane that crashed at a retention pond Saturday at a former power plant in Beverly, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.
The number of people recovered was unavailable late Saturday night. The type of plane also was unavailable.
A county coroner was dispatched to the power plant located along the Muskingum River, said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks, who earlier said at least a pilot and a passenger were on board the plane.
The plane was flying from the Indianapolis area to Florida and was going to stop at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in Wood County, Mincks said.
An Ohio Highway Patrol airplane found debris at the retention pond, a wing, and a visual sighting from a boat launched by the Beverly-Waterford emergency squad found a plane was in the water, Mincks said.
Divers from Little Hocking were at the scene Saturday night searching the water, Mincks said. Representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the plane crash, he said.
The West Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol reported the airplane was flying from Logansport-Cass County Airport in Indiana, north of Indianapolis, when radar contact was lost at 9:43 a.m.
Assistance from the West Virginia Wing was requested by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, a release from Lt. Col. Jeffery Schrock, public affairs officer for the West Virginia Wing.
A nearby Civil Air Patrol crew was getting ready for a training sortie and alerted to perform a search of the route from the last known radar position, the release said.
“We were the closest,” Schrock said.
At 2:33 p.m. the Civil Air Patrol crew made a find at the pond of the former plant. The coal-fired power plant was shut down by American Electric Power about two years ago and the property sold to Commercial Liability Partners LLC, redevelopment company from Missouri, which is demolishing the facilities,
Also on scene are units from the Marietta Ohio Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol.
http://www.mariettatimes.com
OSHP said they received a call around 12 p.m. that a plane headed from Indiana to Parkersburg, West Virginia had not landed yet.
The West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol said they assisted the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in helping to find the plane after radar contact was lost around 9:45 a.m.
The wreckage was found around 1:30 p.m. in a retention pond near Beverly, according to OSHP.
The Civil Air Patrol said the plane was coming from Logansport/Cass County airport, about 70 miles north of Indianapolis.
OSHP said there were no survivors.
The names of the victims have not been released.
http://www.10tv.com
Ohio State Highway Patrol has confirmed multiple fatalities after a plane crash in Washington County, OH near Beverly.
According to OSHP the plane crashed just after noon today in a property near Clark Hill Road and Hayesville Road.
The FAA is on scene investigating.
The number of passengers on the plane has not been released.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
http://wtov9.com
UPDATE 11:10 p.m.
The Ohio State Highway patrol tells 7News there are reports of multiple fatalities in connection to the plane crash in Washington County, OH. They also tell us the FAA is on scene working the investigation.
We'll continue to update you as we learn more.
A plane crash north of Beverly in Washington County, Ohio has been confirmed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
According to the Cambridge post, a call came in around 12:03 p.m. Saturday that a plane had gone missing mid-flight. They then located the 4-seater plane about an hour later in Washington County.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol tell us they're unsure how many people were aboard the aircraft when it went down, and that it's still under investigation.
http://www.yourohiovalley.com
WASHINGTON CO., OH (WCMH) — The Cambridge post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol says multiple people are dead after a plane crash in Washington County, WTRF reports.
Officials got a call that a plane went missing mid-flight around 12pm.
The four-seater plane was found around 1pm north of Beverly, in Washington County.
The State Patrol reports they’re unsure how many were on board when the plane crashed.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and FAA are investigating.
http://nbc4i.com
BEVERLY – A plane carrying a pilot and a passenger Saturday crashed into a retention pond at the former power plant in Beverly, officials said.
The plane was enroute between Indianapolis to Florida and was going to stop at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in Wood County, Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said.
An Ohio Highway Patrol plane found debris at the retention pond, a wing, and a visual sighting from a boat launched by the Beverly-Waterford emergency squad found a plane was in the water, Mincks said.
“We believe there is a pilot and another (passenger) on board,” Mincks said Saturday night.
Divers from the Little Hocking were at the scene Saturday night searching the water, Mincks said.
The West Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol reported the airplane was flying from Logansport-Cass County Airport in Indiana, north of Indianapolis, when radar contact was lost at 9:43 a.m. Assistance from the West Virginia Wing was requested by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, a release from Lt. Col. Jeffery Schrock, public affairs officer for the West Virginia Wing.
A Civil Air Patrol crew was getting ready for a training sortie and alerted to perform a search of the route from the last known radar position, the release said.
“We were the closest,” Shrock said.
At 2:33 p.m. the Civil Air Patrol crew made a find at the pond of the former plant. The coal-fired power plant was shut down by American Electric Power about two years ago and the property sold to Commercial Liability Partners LLC, redevelopment company from Missouri, which is demolishing the facilities,
Also on scene are units from the Marietta Ohio Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol.
http://www.newsandsentinel.com
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