On March 13, 1985, a Piper PA-32-260 (registration N3974W) operated by Miller Flying Service was involved in an aviation accident near Angola, IN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to continue flight into adverse weather conditions, which resulted in structural icing and subsequent loss of control during the final approach. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A light aircraft experienced structural icing in adverse weather before attempting to land at Angola, Indiana. The pilot selected flaps during the final turn, leading to a stall and flat attitude impact just short of runway 05.
What happened
The pilot departed into adverse weather conditions. During flight the acft began to accumulate structural icing. The pilot elected to continue on & eventually decided to land at Angola, IN. During final turn the pilot selected 10 degrees of flaps. The acft then dropped hitting the ground in a flat attitude. The acft skidded about 265 feet to the edge of runway 05.
The investigation
No mechanical examination details were provided in the source material.
Findings
The primary contributing factor was structural icing encountered during flight in adverse weather. The pilot's decision to continue into these conditions and the subsequent loss of control during the final approach phase resulted in a ground impact.
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue flight into adverse weather conditions, which resulted in structural icing and subsequent loss of control during the final approach.
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