N2801TPiper PA-28-180 · 1972

On July 14, 2021, about 1238 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N2801T, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Muscatine, Iowa. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The airplane departed from Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan, with an intended destination of Nevada Municipal Airport (NVD), Nevada, Missouri.

Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast information indicated that the airplane departed IMT and proceeded on a direct course toward NVD at an altitude about 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl). About 1 hour after departure, the airplane entered an area where thunderstorm activity was present and began a series of course and altitude changes that continued to the end of the flight data. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a descending right turn from an altitude about 2,900 ft msl. As the turn continued, the radius of the turn decreased, and the airplane’s descent rate increased until the end of the data.

Figure 1. The accident airplane’s flightpath overlayed on weather radar imagery depicting the weather at the time of the accident.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His flight logbooks indicated about 227 total hours of flight experience as of the last entry dated July 8, 2020.

Airplane maintenance records were not available for review.

Information from the National Weather Service (NWS) Aviation Weather Center indicated that a Convective SIGMET that was in effect for the accident location at the time of the accident. The SIGMET advised of an area of severe thunderstorms with hazards that included 1-inch hail.

Weather radar images indicated the presence of thunderstorm activity at the location and time of the accident, with 0.85-inch hail in the immediate vicinity of the accident site.

At 1221, the Weather Forecasting Office for Quad City, Iowa, issued for the aviation section of the area forecast discussion, showers and thunderstorms impacting near the area and bringing marginal VFR conditions with IFR conditions in some of the heavier storms. Also, some of these storms could bring wind gusts to 50 kts and hail.

Whether the pilot obtained a weather briefing prior to the accident flight or not is unknown.

No flight plan was filed.

Airplane maintenance records were not available for review.

The airplane impacted a farm field on a southerly heading. Upon impact, the airplane fragmented, and the wreckage was distributed in a fan-shaped pattern. The fuselage came to rest about 435 ft south of the initial impact point.

A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot was not in contact with ATC during the flight.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified 2.3 ng/ml of carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal (THC-COOH) in the pilot’s blood and liver. THC-COOH is the primary inactive metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinal (THC). THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis. In addition, diphenhydramine and caffeine were identified in the pilot’s spleen and liver. No active substances were identified in the pilot’s blood.