Accident Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche N8504Y,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 13482
 
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Date:Monday 22 September 1969
Time:03:21 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:Durham Aircraft
Registration: N8504Y
MSN: 30-1663
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Tacoma Narrows Airport, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Washington -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Felts Field Airport, Spokane, Washington (SFF/KSFF)
Destination airport:Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma, Washington (TIW/KTIW)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Written off (destroyed) September 22, 1969 when crashed near Tacoma Narrows Airport, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Washington (at approximate co ordinates 47°16′05″N 122°34′41″W): aircraft attempted contact approach to airport on dark night, over water, with sparse lighting in the area. Low cloud below overcast skies. Of the three persons on board, one was killed. The pilot and one of the passengers survived, although they were seriously injured. The official NTSB report into the accident stated "PROBABLE CAUSE(S) - PILOT IN COMMAND - IMPROPER IFR OPERATION"

When contact with the aircraft was lost, a search was initiated: the search efforts were unproductive until approximately 06:30, when the pilot's seriously injured daughter walked into the airport flight office. She was than able to direct the rescue service to the crash site.

The aircraft had struck the side of a hill about 1,125 feet south east of Runway 35 at Tacoma Narrows Airport, and crashed out of control. The pilot and his daughter were seriously injured; the pilot's wife was killed. The pilot was interviewed a short time later, and stared that he had experienced a loss of power in the right engine

Accident investigation:
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: SEA70A0013
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

1. NTSB Identification: SEA70A0013 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=8346&key=0
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=8504Y
3. Flying Magazine Oct 1973 at https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IL15k98jW-oC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=PA-30+N8504Y&source=bl&ots=FndGGGhtcc&sig=mr7lbo2MPMJQQNHXuLXDmoa1HAo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF7uLNg9vRAhWpKcAKHW51AXwQ6AEIJTAC#v=onepage&q=PA-30%20N8504Y&f=false
4. http://planecrashmap.com/plane/wa/N8504Y/

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
25-Feb-2008 12:00 ASN archive Added
24-Jan-2017 15:02 Dr. John Smith Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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