Accident Overview
On Friday 21 April 2005 at 1634 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, registration LN-ABI, collided with the frozen surface of Osvatnet near Sunndalsøra in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. The aircraft was destroyed, and both occupants—the pilot and his wife—died.
Flight History
The pilot and his wife had flown LN-ABI earlier that day from Sunndalsøra Airport Vinnu (ENSU) via Sandane Airport Anda (ENSD) to Notodden Airport (ENNO) for an oil change and filter replacement. The pilot performed the maintenance himself. The return flight was planned as a direct route from Notodden to Sunndalsøra.
The aircraft departed Notodden at 1415, 15 minutes after the planned time. The flight proceeded normally in good weather until reaching the Lesja area. After passing Lesja, the pilot entered a region with clouds, snow showers, and severely reduced visibility.
Accident Sequence
Data from the onboard GPS receiver indicated that the aircraft was in a continuous descent over the final 10 nautical miles of the flight. It eventually struck the ice-covered lake Osvatnet, located approximately five minutes of flying time from the intended destination. The impact with the ice was considered non-survivable. No technical defects were found in the aircraft.
Investigation Findings
The accident investigation conducted by the Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) determined that the pilot had continued flying under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The AIBN concluded that the likely cause was the pilot's loss of spatial disorientation after flying into deteriorating visibility and low cloud ceilings over a snow-covered, featureless ice surface. No safety recommendations were issued for this accident.