Piper PA-32-260 accident near Brooklyn, Iowa, December 18, 2003
On December 18, 2003, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3733W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brooklyn, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate planning/decision resulting in VFR flight into IMC, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance resulting in in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's lack of an instrument rating, his lack of recent night flying experience, the dark night, and the low ceilings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2003
- Place
- Brooklyn, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3733W · no longer on the register · serial 32-647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a cornfield during cruise flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was operating under visual flight rules (VFR), and no flight plan was filed. There was no record of the pilot contacting air traffic control facilities or Flight Service Stations while en route. There were no witnesses to the accident. The pilot was a private pilot but he was not instrument qualified. The pilot's logbook indicated that he flew 0.5 hours of night time 30 days prior to the accident, and that he recorded 3 landings to a full stop. The pilot's previous night flight, which was 0.6 hours in length, was logged nine months prior to the accident. The observed weather about 26 nautical miles west of the accident site, was: Winds 260 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 2 statute miles, light snow, ceiling 700 feet overcast, temperature 1 degree C, dew point 0 degree C, altimeter 29.89 inches of mercury. The postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 583 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 476 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 7, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,535 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2003; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 10:40 pm
- Destination: IKV Ankeny IA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.