Questions Unanswered in Piper Navajo Crash – Episode 316
The NTSB report of a fatal Piper Navajo crash in Medford, Oregon in December 2021 leaves important aviation safety questions unanswered. This fatal crash is attributed to spatial disorientation but facts available lead to serious questions about the fuel tanks and more.
The pilot had flown from his home in Nevada to Medford but had to have the fuel system repaired. Days later when the repairs were complete, the pilot took off in low ceiling conditions. The aircraft made a sharp right turn, entered the clouds, and then descended sharply, with the pilot pulling up shortly before hitting the ground After reentering the clouds, the aircraft made an inverted loop and crashed into the ground in a near vertical attitude.
The NTSB identified the probable cause as spatial disorientation followed by an uncontrolled descent, with flicker vertigo as a possible factor in the crash. John Goglia and Todd Curtis discuss how the sharp right-hand turn just after takeoff could have been caused by the pilot attempting an immediate emergency landing, possibly due to fuel system issues related to the recent repairs.
They also look at the timing of the pilot’s travels to pick up his airplane. The time from his home to the airport was about eight hours. The NTSB noted that the pilot turned in his rental car less than 45 minutes before the accident. Did he do sufficient preflight checks? Was he sufficiently rested?
Resources:
NTSB Final Report of 2021 Piper Navajo crash in Medford, OR
NTSB Supplemental information for Investigation WPR22FA055
Transcript of ATC conversation with Piper Navajo
NTSB Sound Study for Piper Navajo Crash
Recent Traing Records for Navajo Accident Pilot
Flight Safety Foundation 2004 article on Flicker Vertigo
NTSB Final Report for USAir 427
NTSB Final Report for United 585
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