Accident Piper PA-32-300 N1499X,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37384
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Friday 9 June 1989
Time:14:32
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA32 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-32-300
Owner/operator:M & H Aircraft Corporation Inc
Registration: N1499X
MSN: 32-7540168
Year of manufacture:1975
Total airframe hrs:3793 hours
Engine model:LYCOMING IO-540-K1A5
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Myersville, MD -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Hagerstown, MD (HGR)
Destination airport:Frederick, MD (FDK)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
DRG A WX BRIEFING BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADZD THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RCMDD. WHILE EN ROUTE ON A VFR FLT, THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN AREA WHERE RIDGE TOPS WERE OBSCD BY CLOUDS. A WITNESS, WHO HEARD THE ACFT, RPRTD THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE IT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT BEFORE IT CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE VERIFIED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS OF THE PLT'S LIVER TISSUE WERE POSITIVE FOR NORDIAZEPAM (AT OR ABOVE 0.148 MG/L) & MAPROTILINE AT OR ABOVE 8.6 MG/KG). NORDIAZEPAM IS A TRANQUILIZER & MAPROTILINE IS USED TO TREAT DEPRESSION. THE PLT'S FAMILY RPRTD THAT CENTRAX (PRAZEPAM) & LUDIOMIL (MAPROTILENE HYDROCHLORIDE) HAD BEEN PRESCRIBED TO THE PLT FOR CONTROL OF DEPRESSION. CAUSE: CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS INABILITY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE HILLY/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND HIS IMPAIRMENT FROM A PRESCRIPTION DRUG THAT WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING.

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X28499

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:23 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org