ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45486
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| Date: | Saturday 20 July 2002 |
| Time: | 06:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32RT-300 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N9738C |
| MSN: | 32R-7885071 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5622 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean, AO -
 Bahamas
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Freeport-Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO/MYGF) |
| Palm Beach, FL (PBI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The non-instrument rated private pilot encountered level 4 thunderstorms and collided into the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles west of Freeport, Bahamas. There were no records of weather briefings made to the pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to the accident. According to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center, the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 4700 feet when radio and radar contact was lost. During the subsequent search for the missing airplane, the Coast Guard recovered three occupants and about 300 pounds of aircraft wreckage/debris.
Probable Cause: The pilot continued VFR flight into IMC and thunderstorm conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control of the airplane.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20020726X01236&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Dec-2017 16:54 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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