The pilot departed Maquoketa Municipal Airport (KOQW), Maquoketa, Iowa, in a Beech A36 about 1255 and was destined for Toledo Executive Airport (KTDZ) in Ohio.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed near KOQW about the time of departure and weather information indicated that the initial portion of the flight was conducted in visual meteorological conditions. However, weather conditions deteriorated as the flight progressed.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) position data indicated that the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 9,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and proceeded southeast before turning east and transitioning south of the Chicago metropolitan area. The pilot returned to a southeasterly course until nearing Logansport, Indiana, when he again took up an easterly course and transitioned south of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. During this time, the airplane began a gradual descent over the next 30 minutes, eventually leveling at 2,000 feet msl.
The track data depicted multiple course changes, including two 360° turns within 20 miles of Elida, Ohio, where the plane crashed. About 1610, the plane entered a right turn, changing its course from southeasterly to southwesterly over about 30 seconds. About 1611, the airplane entered a second right turn, which transitioned into a right descending spiral until the final data point at 1612.
At 1647, a local resident saw the wreckage in an agricultural field and contacted authorities. The plane was destroyed and the pilot and a passenger died in the crash.
There were no known witnesses to the accident. There also was no record that the pilot obtained an official preflight weather briefing or that he had requested any weather information during the flight.
At 1555, conditions at the Putnam County Airport (KOWX), in Ottawa, Ohio, about 14 miles north-northeast of the site of the accident, included scattered clouds at 600 feet agl, broken clouds at 1,700 feet agl, and 5 miles visibility. At 1555, conditions at the Van Wert County Airport (KVNW), about 20 miles west of the accident site, included broken clouds at 500 feet agl, overcast clouds at 1,000 feet agl, and 2 miles visibility in rain.
Satellite imagery depicted cloudy conditions across the region. Overcast clouds prevailed near the accident site, with cloud tops above 10,000 feet msl and localized build-ups to about 30,000 feet msl. Radar imagery depicted light to heavy precipitation across the region. The accident occurred as the airplane approached an area of moderate to heavy precipitation.
An AIRMET warning of instrument conditions was in effect at the time of the accident. The pilot did not have an instrument rating and investigators could not determine if he had completed any instrument training after receiving his private pilot certificate.
Probable Cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue visual flight rules flight into an area of instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot not obtaining a weather briefing prior to the flight.
This June 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
