The report says a Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga (registration N43156), was destroyed on Jan. 11 when it was involved in an accident near Dayton, Va. The pilot was fatally injured.
According to initial information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and witnesses, the pilot flew the plane with a passenger from Shelby County Airport in Alabama to Winchester Regional Airport in Virginia.
The flight arrived in Winchester around 3:44 p.m. EST, and the passenger was dropped off. The plane was refueled with 54 gallons of gas, and the pilot departed for a return flight to Shelby County Airport at about 5:39 p.m. The aircraft climbed to 6,500 feet after departure.
According to data obtained from the U.S. Naval Observatory, sunset occurred at 5:15 p.m. and the end of civil twilight occurred at 5:45 p.m.
At about 6:03 p.m., the pilot advised air traffic control that he was going to descend to 5,500 ft for a few minutes. The controller acknowledged and instructed him to “maintain visual flight rules,” which the pilot acknowledged. No further transmissions were received from the airplane.
Air traffic control lost radar contact with the plane at about 6:10 p.m. near Bridgewater, Va. Emergency services were then dispatched to search for the plane.
Emergency personnel found the plane at 3:30 a.m. at an approximate elevation of 4,000 ft in the Maple Spring area of the Shenandoah Mountains. The crash site was near Dundore Mountain in Rockingham County, Va.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane had impacted trees while heading south and came to rest about 520 ft from the initial impact point.
The airplane was “highly fragmented” the NTSB said in their report.
Recorded weather at Bridgewater Air Park, located about 13 miles southeast of the accident site, showed visibility was seven statute miles, and cloud layers were broken at 3,800 ft.
According to FAA and pilot records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate. He did not possess an instrument rating. The plane is registered to Mangham Truck and Equipment Inc., according to FAA records.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
3 comments:
Bridgewater Air Park is at 1165 ft MSL, so its reported broken clouds at 3800 ft AGL means that the ceiling was at about 5000 ft. He would probably have been in the clouds at 5,500 ft MSL. In the dark an hour after sunset. Level or climb into the clouds (and not unlikely ice, or descend into possible dark terrain. Tough spot to be in with an instrument rating, and tougher without. Who knows if even a 180 would have gotten him clear of either the clouds or the terrain.
Without an IR rating, night flight is sketchy, like traversing a dark room that is unfamiliar. Personally, VFR flying is a daytime endevor.
As an ex- Part 135 pilot, I always file & fly an IFR flight plan - you never know what you're going to run into.
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