ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36533
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| Date: | Sunday 26 October 1997 |
| Time: | 12:43 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172E |
| Owner/operator: | Seymour A. Lichter |
| Registration: | N3097U |
| MSN: | 17250697 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3254 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-300-D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Elkton, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Winchester, VA (KOKV) |
| West Palm Beach, FL | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot took off on a VFR cross country flight in IMC conditions. The pilot did not possess an instrument rating and the airplane was not certified for IFR operation. He did not obtain a weather briefing and did not file a flight plan. The pilot told a witness that he planned to 'get above the clouds.' Radar data revealed the airplane was aloft for 1 hour and 43 minutes, but traveled a straight line distance of only 46 miles. Examination of the airplane's ground track revealed several heading changes greater than 270 degrees with three turns of 360 degrees. The airplane came to rest suspended in trees on top of a ridgeline approximately 3,300 feet above sea level.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intention VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were clouds and mountainous/hilly terrain..
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC98FA020
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] |
| 08-Apr-2024 12:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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