At about 03:15 central time, a Piper PA-28-180 crashed about -mile north of runway 17 during an instrument approach to Stillwater Municipal Airport. The non-instrument rated pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured. An IFR flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed Hays, Kan., at 01:10 en route to Stillwater. The pilot had flown to Stillwater from Cullman, Ala., with his wife, arriving Nov. 22 at about 18:30. At about 21:45 he left alone, flew to Hays and picked up his daughter. He refueled and filed an IFR flight plan back to Stillman, departing Nov. 23 at about 01:10. When he arrived at Stillman, visibility was 4 miles in light rain and mist, ceiling 300 feet and temperature and dewpoint were both 9 degrees C. The pilot missed one approach and was vectored for a second one when radar contact was lost. In the three years since he got his license, the pilot logged 818 hours of total flight time, including 5.4 hours simulated instrument flight, 224 hours at night and 270 hours of cross-country flight.
Nov. 23, Stillwater, Okla. / Piper Cherokee 180
At about 03:15 central time, a Piper PA-28-180 crashed about -mile north of runway 17 during an instrument approach to Stillwater Municipal Airport. The non-instrument rated pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured. An IFR flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed Hays, Kan., at 01:10 en route to Stillwater. The pilot had flown to Stillwater from Cullman, Ala., with his wife, arriving Nov. 22 at about 18:30. At about 21:45 he left alone, flew to Hays and picked up his daughter. He refueled and filed an IFR flight plan back to Stillman, departing Nov. 23 at about 01:10. When he arrived at Stillman, visibility was 4 miles in light rain and mist, ceiling...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-28-180 crashed during an instrument approach to Stillwater Municipal Airport, killing the non-instrument rated pilot and seriously injuring the passenger.
- The accident occurred in challenging weather conditions, with a low ceiling (300 feet) and reduced visibility in light rain and mist.
- The non-instrument rated pilot, who had filed an IFR flight plan, was attempting a second instrument approach after missing the first, despite having only 5.4 hours of simulated instrument flight time out of 818 total hours.
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