Accident Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche N7637Y,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 13541
 
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Date:Friday 7 July 1967
Time:c. 17:15 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA30 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche
Owner/operator:A.R.Surles Junior
Registration: N7637Y
MSN: 30-715
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:near Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida -   United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Tallahassee Commercial Airport,Tallahassee, Florida (FAA LID: 68J)
Destination airport:South Lakeland Airport, Lakeland, Florida (FAA LID: X49)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Written off (destroyed) 7 July 1967 when broke up in flight and crashed near Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida.
Accoarding to a contemoprary newpaper report (see link #4)

"Sunday, July 9, 1967
Searches For Surles:

Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard aircraft searched a vast area of West Central Florida and the Gulf of Mexico Saturday for a small plane missing since Friday with a former state representative aboard. The missing man was identified as A. R. Surles Jr., a Lakeland attorney who had been lobbying at the legislative session in Tallahassee. Surles left Tallahassee at 5 p.m. Friday in a Piper Comanche and was due to have arrived at Lakeland at 6:30. Lt. Col. Henry Casenove of the Civil Air Patrol said Surles filed a flight plan which would have taken him over a stretch of the Gulf and over Cedar Key. Casenove said Surles was in radio contact with Tallahassee three minutes after takeoff. That was his last contact. Surles, 53, served as a state representative for 10 years. He first was elected to the legislature in 1948 and served until he was defeated by now-Sen. Lawton Chiles. Prior to serving in the legislature, he was city attorney for Auburndale and Lakeland"

According to the official AAIB report into the accident: "Pilot not instrument rated. Was advised peak thunderstorm activity probable during flight. Pilot in command continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions; pilot experienced spatial disorientation. Aircraft exceeded designated stress limits and both wings detached from aircraft in flight". The pilot (the sole person on board) was killed. All the wreckage and the pilots body was recovered on 10 July 1967

Accident investigation:
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: MIA68A0006
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

1. NTSB Identification: MIA68A0006 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=17980&key=0
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=7637Y
3. http://planecrashmap.com/plane/fl/N7637Y/
4. The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida (July 9 1967) Page 3 at https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/224322664/

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
25-Feb-2008 12:00 ASN archive Added
29-Feb-2016 19:57 Dr.John Smith Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
29-Feb-2016 19:59 Dr.John Smith Updated [Narrative]
20-Jan-2017 19:15 Dr. John Smith Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
20-Jan-2017 19:16 Dr. John Smith Updated [Time]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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