ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36640
Last updated: 26 May 2013
This information is added by users of ASN. 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: | 31-JUL-1989 |
| Time: | 108 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28R-201T |
| Operator: | private |
| Registration: | N64MB |
| C/n / msn: | 28R-7803323 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | College Park, MD -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Atlantic City, NJ (AIY) |
| Manassas, VA (W10) |
THE PLT & PASSENGERS WERE RETURNING FROM AN EVENING X-COUNTRY FLT WITH THE FLT OPERATING IN IMC, FORECASTED TO CONTAIN RAIN SHOWERS & THUNDERSTORMS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER AN IN-FLT BREAKUP. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE HORIZONTAL STABILATOR, THEN THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF BOTH WINGS HAD FAILED IN A DOWN & AFT DIRECTION. THE STABILATOR AND PORTIONS OF THE WINGS WERE FOUND ABOUT 1200' FROM THE FUSELAGE. RADAR DATA INDICATED THE ACFT HAD ENTERED AN INCREASING LEFT DESCENDING TURN, FOLLOWED BY A RAPID DESCENT RATE JUST BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. THE ACFT'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 3000 LBS. ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFIED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 2900 LBS. A REVIEW OF THE PLT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD OBTAINED ONE HOUR OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME & ONE INSTRUMENT APPROACH IN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS. CAUSE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE STABILATORS AND WINGS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, HIS LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT ALLOWED BY THE PILOT, DARK NIGHT, AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Sources:
NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X28737
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description