Piper PA28 accident near Salem, South Dakota, January 13, 2019
On January 13, 2019 at about 8:25 pm local time, a 1976 Piper PA28, registered N75191, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Salem, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The incapacitating effects of an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), which resulted in the pilot's loss of airplane control and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2019 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 181, built 1976 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N75191 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7690310
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 15 minutes after departing on a cross-country flight in day visual meteorological conditions, the pilot contacted air traffic control to report that he was having chest pain and blacking out, and was having difficulty controlling the airplane. The controller continued to communicate with the pilot for about 20 minutes before radio contact was lost. The wreckage was subsequently located in a field. Examination did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot's Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate expired about 10 weeks before the accident. He had begun but not completed the requirements for operation under BasicMed. Autopsy of the pilot identified coronary artery disease including 80% stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 50% stenosis of the right coronary artery and diagnosed an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). It is likely that the sudden, impairing effects of the heart attack and associated severe chest pain resulted in the pilot's loss of airplane control while attempting to land in a field, and its subsequent impact with terrain.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Medical event during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,515.6 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 2.9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHE Mitchell SD
- Destination: Y14 Tea SD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 8:22 pm from KMHE, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
18 documents, released by the NTSB on March 25, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.