ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36849
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| Date: | Saturday 16 April 1994 |
| Time: | 02:04 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-300 |
| Owner/operator: | Affordable Leasing, Inc. |
| Registration: | N8685C |
| MSN: | 32R-7680133 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6153 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Salem, OH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Elyria, OH (22G) |
| Leesburg, VA (KJYO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PILOT DEPARTED INTO MARGINAL VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS LATE AT NIGHT WITHOUT RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING. HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. BEFORE DEPARTURE, A WITNESS NOTED THE PILOT LOOKED 'A LITTLE TIRED' AND THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AN AIRPLANE PROBLEM. RECORDED RADAR DATA, METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATED THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN AREA OF CLOUDS, RAIN, AND MODERATE TURBULENCE, ALL OF WHICH WERE FORECAST. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE PLANE HAD ENTERED A RAPID DESCENDING TURN FROM ABOUT 5700' MSL, THEN RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRPLANE OCCURRED, AND WRECKAGE WAS FOUND OVER A 3/4 MILE AREA. AN EXAM OF THE FRACTURES REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE STABILATORS AND LEFT WING FAILED FROM OVERLOAD IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WING PANEL FAILED UPWARD FROM OVERLOAD, AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER HAD FAILED TO THE RIGHT FROM TORSIONAL LOADS. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN RECENTLY STRIPPED AND REPAINTED, BUT NO PRE-ACCIDENT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY WAS FOUND.
Probable Cause: VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB BFO94FA066
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Apr-2024 08:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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