ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45509
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| Date: | Sunday 30 June 2002 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-24-260 Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8681P |
| MSN: | 24-4129 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5090 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gorman, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Dublin Municipal Airport, TX (9F0) |
| Lamesa Municipal Airport, TX (2F5) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 30, 2002, approximately 1200 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260 single-engine airplane, N8681P, was destroyed following an in-flight breakup near Gorman, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The instrument-rated private pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Lamesa Municipal Airport, Lamesa (2F5), Texas, stopped at the San Angelo Regional/Mathis Field (SJT), San Angelo, Texas, and at the Dublin Municipal Airport (9F0), Dublin, Texas, to pick up passengers. At 1145, the flight departed Dublin for the return flight to Lamesa.
The instrument-rated pilot lost control of the airplane, which experienced an in-flight break-up, after encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) while on a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight. There was no record of a weather briefing or air traffic control (ATC) communications for the accident airplane. Radar data, assumed to be that of the accident airplane, revealed it was climbing from 7,300 to 8,500 feet before descending rapidly to 4,700 feet, which was the altitude of the last radar return. The radar data depicted the airplane making a left turn followed by a right turn (the right turn took place during the rapid descent). The aircraft fuselage was located approximately 4,500 feet southwest from the last radar return. The wreckage was distributed along a 1.4-mile wreckage path. Weather radar data at the time of the accident was overlayed onto the ATC radar data. The combined information depicted the airplane flying through the leading edge of a precipitation cell that was in the area. The pilot's logbooks were not located, therefore, his instrument currency and experience was left undefined. No anomalies were noted with the airplane, engine, or its flight instruments that would have contributed to the accident. No distress calls were received from the airplane.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of control and the exceedence of the design limits of the airplane which resulted in an in-flight break-up. A factor was inadvertent VFR flight into IMC.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20020710X01078&key=1
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
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 16:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2024 18:23 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Photo] |
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