ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 13541
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| Date: | 07-JUL-1967 |
| Time: | c. 17:15 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | A.R.Surles Junior |
| Registration: | N7637Y |
| MSN: | 30-715 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | near Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tallahassee Commercial Airport,Tallahassee, Florida (FAA LID: 68J) |
| South Lakeland Airport, Lakeland, Florida (FAA LID: X49) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (destroyed) 7 July 1967 when broke up in flight and crashed near Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida.
Accoarding to a contemoprary newpaper report (see link #4)
"Sunday, July 9, 1967
Searches For Surles:
Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard aircraft searched a vast area of West Central Florida and the Gulf of Mexico Saturday for a small plane missing since Friday with a former state representative aboard. The missing man was identified as A. R. Surles Jr., a Lakeland attorney who had been lobbying at the legislative session in Tallahassee. Surles left Tallahassee at 5 p.m. Friday in a Piper Comanche and was due to have arrived at Lakeland at 6:30. Lt. Col. Henry Casenove of the Civil Air Patrol said Surles filed a flight plan which would have taken him over a stretch of the Gulf and over Cedar Key. Casenove said Surles was in radio contact with Tallahassee three minutes after takeoff. That was his last contact. Surles, 53, served as a state representative for 10 years. He first was elected to the legislature in 1948 and served until he was defeated by now-Sen. Lawton Chiles. Prior to serving in the legislature, he was city attorney for Auburndale and Lakeland"
According to the official AAIB report into the accident: "Pilot not instrument rated. Was advised peak thunderstorm activity probable during flight. Pilot in command continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions; pilot experienced spatial disorientation. Aircraft exceeded designated stress limits and both wings detached from aircraft in flight". The pilot (the sole person on board) was killed. All the wreckage and the pilots body was recovered on 10 July 1967
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: MIA68A0006 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=17980&key=0
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=7637Y
3. http://planecrashmap.com/plane/fl/N7637Y/
4. The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida (July 9 1967) Page 3 at https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/224322664/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Feb-2008 12:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Feb-2016 19:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Feb-2016 19:59 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 20-Jan-2017 19:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Jan-2017 19:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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