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| Date: | Thursday 28 January 2010 |
| Time: | 08:37 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-181 Archer III |
| Owner/operator: | Transpac Aviation Academy |
| Registration: | N293PA |
| MSN: | 2843503 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2002 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9127 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Phoenix, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Phoenix-Deer Valley Airport, AZ (DVT/KDVT) |
| Wickenburg, AZ (E25) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 28, 2010, at 0837 mountain standard time (MST), a Piper PA28-181, N293PA, collided with wires while attempting to return to the airport at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona. Transpac Aviation Academy was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The student pilot was killed; the airplane sustained substantial damage by impact forces. The solo cross-country instructional flight departed DVT at 0831 with a planned destination of Wickenburg, Arizona. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Shortly after takeoff for the student pilot’s second solo cross-country flight, she was advised by the air traffic controller to make a departure on the right downwind leg of the traffic pattern. While on the downwind leg, the pilot requested to return to the airport and make a full-stop landing. The controller instructed the pilot to continue the right-hand pattern and to follow the traffic in front of her. The controller then inquired if she needed assistance, to which she responded “because of ceiling.” The controller again advised her to follow the traffic in front of her, and she responded that she had it in sight. The controller then cleared her to land, which she acknowledged. The controller subsequently asked the pilot if she had the runway in sight, after which a short inaudible transmission was received. A review of the radar data indicated that the pilot was following a normal right-hand traffic pattern until the base leg, where she overflew the final approach for the runway. Witnesses in the area reported seeing the airplane flying very low before hearing a loud bang. The airplane impacted a low wire span about 30 feet above ground level and continued another 400 feet before hitting another set of wires and crashing into a field. The weather reported in the area at the time by witnesses and first responders was low clouds and fog. It is likely that the pilot either encountered the low clouds or was attempting to remain below the clouds when the collision with the wires occurred. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions existed over most of western Arizona; however, the accident site bordered the area between marginal VFR and VFR conditions. The weather observation at the time of the accident included a 1,000-foot broken cloud layer with 5 miles of visibility.
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s decision to take off in marginal visual flight rules conditions, which resulted in an encounter with low clouds, and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from wires while maneuvering in the traffic pattern for landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75314
Location
Images:
Photo taken by Rom Solene approximately 3 hours after crash, located approximately 1/2 mile from KDVT.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Jan-2010 10:36 | slowkid | Added |
| 28-Jan-2010 10:44 | slowkid | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Jan-2010 14:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Feb-2010 10:29 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Jul-2025 07:00 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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