Piper PA-28-180C | N903US

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the pilot did elect to fly this short trip from KFSD to KYKN for the purpose of maintenance. While the weather was mostly clear at the departure airport, the pilot did encounter ever increasing cloud, and ever decreasing visibility. The pilot elected to descend and attempt to visual cotact with the ground, whereupon he eventually lost all contact and turned first left, then right, eventually impacting the ground at cruise speed. The wreckage was scattered over a large area. The impact path suggests that the pilot became disoriented in the low visibility towards the very end of the flight. There were no pre impact conditions that were found that would have caused the accident. In the pilots hopes of reaching his destination, he allowed the aircraft to descend and to continue further into ever worsening cloud, fog, and visibility conditions.

Probable Cause issued 9/8/2026 – 26 months after the accident: The pilot’s poor decision to continue the flight into deteriorating weather conditions and his failure to maintain a safe altitude, which resulted in controlled flight into trees and terrain.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots use ADM, and pre flight planning, as well as known measures for turning around and re emerging from weather conditions should they become lower and more pronounced during the intended flight. The DTSB recommends delaying and avoiding such flights where weather conditions are less than acceptable.