Accident Piper PA-44-180 N39595, Thursday 2 December 1993

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Date:	Thursday 2 December 1993
Time:	20:27 LT
Type:	Piper PA-44-180
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	N39595
MSN:	44-7995014
Year of manufacture:	1978
Total airframe hrs:	2194 hours
Engine model:	Lycoming O-360-E1A6D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Hopkinsville, KY - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Executive
Departure airport:	Charlotte, NC (KCLT)
Destination airport:	(1M8)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
THE PILOT INITIATED A LOCALIZER APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE 'FLYING LOW... [AND] HIT A POWERLINE.' THE PILOT STATED THAT HE 'SAW THE RUNWAY LIGHTS MOMENTARILY BUT THEN THEY DISAPPEARED...THERE WAS A BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHT AT OR ON TOP OF MY RIGHT WING...' THE AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATION SYSTEM REPORTED THE WEATHER AS: -X 3 BKN 10 OVC 3/4 50/59/000/027. THE PUBLISHED MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE FOR THAT APPROACH WAS 500 FEET. THE POWER LINE THAT THE AIRPLANE STRUCK WAS 4441 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.

Probable Cause: the pilot's improper IFR procedure by conducting flight below minimum descent altitude (MDA) without visual referece which resulted in an inflight collision with wires. A factor was the wire.

Accident investigation: