NTSB CHI90FA130 — 1990-05-20 · EAST LANSING, Michigan, United States

N24PT has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA 441, built 1977), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N24PT Piper PA-28-181 Fatal

Probable cause & findings

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL WHILE FLYING IN CLOUDS DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH. FACTORS WERE: INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE, OPERATION WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES IN EQUIPMENT, AND ANXIETY/APPREHENSION.

Factual narrative

THE AIRPLANE CRASHED WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ASR APPROACH. THE REASON FOR THE FLIGHT WAS TO DELIVER THE AIRPLANE FOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. IMC PREVAILED. AFTER CHECKING WEATHER THREE TIMES THE PILOT TELEPHONED THE RADAR APPROACH CONTROL AND REQUESTED A SVFR CLEARANCE STATING THAT HE WOULD BE MAKING THE FLIGHT ON BATTERY POWER. AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT WAS ISSUED A CLEARANCE. AFTER AN INFLIGHT ADVISORY THAT WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE NOT FAVORABLE FOR SVFR HE REQUESTED AN IFR CLEARANCE AND WAS ASSIGNED VECTORS FOR AN ILS APPROACH. DURING THE APPROACH THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS HAVING INSTRUMENT PROBLEMS AND WAS CONCERNED THAT HE WOULD LOSE COMMUNICATONS CAPABILITY. THE CONTROLLER LOST CONTACT WITH THE PILOT AFTER STARTING A NO-GYRO ASR APPROACH. NO DEFECTS WERE DISCOVERED DURING DISASSEMBLY OF THE VACUUM PUMPS, OR THE VACUUM AND ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS. LIGHT BULBS IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED FILAMENT STRETCHING. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_CHI90FA130.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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