ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35168
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Date: | Thursday 1 July 1999 |
Time: | 14:02 |
Type: | Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II |
Owner/operator: | Private |
Registration: | N602RM |
MSN: | 31T-7920081 |
Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
Total airframe hrs: | 4852 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Deerfield, VA -
United States of America
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Jonesboro, AR (JBR) |
Destination airport: | Weyer's Cave, VA (SHD) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:The pilot was descending the airplane from 23,000 feet for an instrument approach. All communications were normal until after he acknowledged an instruction to contact approach control, when radio contact was lost. Radar contact ceased at 11,300 feet due to radar signal reception difficulties. Contact was lost almost directly over the eventual impact site, indicating a steep descent angle, which was on the eastern side of a small valley. Witnesses on the western side of the valley had seen the airplane flying near them, at treetop level, eastbound, and clear of clouds. About the same time, on the eastern side of the valley where the airplane would impact trees, then terrain, there was heavy rain. The commercial pilot had about 1,850 total flight hours, and had completed a 'Wings III' flight proficiency program and an instrument proficiency program about two months earlier. The airplane had been on a continuous maintenance program. At the accident site, all of the airplane's control surfaces were found, and the engines and propellers displayed signatures consistent with being under power at impact. There were insufficient remains to conduct an autopsy or toxicological testing. Previously, the pilot's father, two uncles, and a male cousin had suffered fatal heart attacks. The pilot was 61 years old, the same age as his father was when he died. The pilot's sister later said that, as he was a physician, he took care of his own health, but said he did not have a very good history of taking care of himself.
Probable Cause: Loss of control of the airplane due to pilot incapacitation following a heart attack.
Sources:
NTSB:
https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X19328&key=1 FAA register: 2. FAA:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=602RM Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
24-Oct-2008 10:30 |
ASN archive |
Added |
30-Apr-2017 15:18 |
TB |
Updated [Source] |
07-Aug-2017 08:45 |
TB |
Updated [Aircraft type] |
13-Sep-2017 21:57 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
13-Sep-2017 21:58 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
14-Dec-2017 08:41 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
04-Mar-2019 21:13 |
liamdaniel98 |
Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
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