# Accident 19970314003139A: Piper PA24260, Andrews, NC, March 14, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 14, 1997, 20:41 local time
- Place: Andrews, NC
- Airport: Andrews-Murphy Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1895° N, 83.8199° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1895&lon=-83.8199&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8857P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8857P-1998-08-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-260 (registry code 7102406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-260) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24260
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA97FA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97FA097) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970314003139A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON MARCH 14, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 8:41PM EST, A PIPER PA-24-260, REGISTRATION NUMBER N8857P, REGISTERED TO PRIVATE PILOT, PAUL J. MANSOUR CRASHED INTO THE MOUNTAINS ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF ANDREWS-MURPHY AIRPORT, NEAR ANDREWS, NORTH CAROLINA. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE TOP OF A RIDGE (CRASHED ON DOWNSLOPE) FATALLY INJURING PILOT IN COMMAND, PAUL J. MANSOUR AND LONE PASSENGER, CONNIE S. SNYDER.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT ABOUT 7:54PM FROM THE ATLANTA INTERANATIONAL AIRPORT, ATLANTA, GEORGIA.  ACCORDING TO DATA FROM ATLANTA AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR TURNING TO A NORTHEAST HEADING AT 7,000 FEET ALTITUDE.  THE PILOT THEN CANCELLED THE IFR FLIGHT CLEARANCE AT 8:38 PM AND WAS LAST SEEN ON RADAR ABOUT 1.8 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT AT 7,100 FEET ALTITUDE. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON MARCH 15, 1997 BY LOCAL RESCUE UNITS AND THE COUNTY SHERRIF'S DEPARTMENT.   THE BODIES WERE NOT RECOVERED FROM THE MOUNTAIN UNTIL ABOUT 10:30 PM ON MARCH 15, 1997, DUE TO THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN SURROUNDING THE CRASH SITE. DUE TO THE FORCE OF THE CRASH, MOST INSTRUMENTATION/AVIONICS EQUIPMENT WAS EITHER NOT RECOVERED, NOT IDENTIFIABLE, OR DAMAGED TO SUCH EXTENT THAT LITTLE INFORMATION COULD BE OBTAINED FROM THESE UNITS. BOTH THE ENGINE AND AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS PERFORMED AN INVESTIGATION AT THE CRASH SITE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA97FA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97FA097), Mar 15, 1997: Piper PA-24-260 (N8857P), Andrews, NC, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's poor in-flight planning in attempting to maintain VFR conditions at night over mountainous terrain, and his failure to maintain clearance from the mountain. Contributing to the accident…

## Other reports on N8857P (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19791019053029I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19791019053029I), Oct 19, 1979: Piper PA24260 (N8857P), Coeur D'Alene, ID, Minor damage. Pilot retracted the gear for go-around, forgot to put it down again.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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