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19980203001519A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-34-200 · Graford, TX · February 3, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 3, 1998 · 21:38 local
Place
Graford, TX
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N15566
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW98FA117
Reported as
Piper PA34200
Reported engine
Lycoming IO360C1E6
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
9,000 total
N15566Registration cancelled Aug 31, 1998 · Piper PA-34-200S/N 347350076Airframe modelPiper PA-34-200

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Circled airport at night in dense fog. Impacted 200 ft high ridge near airport. VFR pilot only. (.4)the airplane was dispatched to pick up a stranded flightcrew that landed at the destination airport, 70 miles from home base. Fog had formed in the area. The airplane circled the airport, above the fog layer, but was unable to land due to the fog. After circling the airport, the airplane was heard proceeding east bound until the sound of the engines disappeared. An ELT signal was received by another airplane on the 290 degree radial, 19 miles from the milsap VOR. There were no reported eyewitnesses. The wreckage was located the next morning on the eastern ledge of a granite ridgeline of a north-south oriented hill rising approximately 200 feet above the surrounding terrain. The wreckage was scattered for 270 feet on a heading of 240 degrees. Signatures at the initial point of impact indicate that the airplane contacted trees and terrain in controlled flight in a slight left wing down attitude. Flight control continuity was established. The landing gear and flaps were found in the retracted position. (-23) on February 3, 1998, at approximately 9:35 pm, a Piper seneca, owned by james davis and john whitmore, crashed during a night flight. Weather conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was demolished and two fatalities occurred. The pilot was a private pilot, airplane single, multiengine land. The flight originated at arlington airport, Texas (F54), at 8:45 pm, February 3, 1998.

As the FAA filed it

CIRCLED AIRPORT AT NIGHT IN DENSE FOG. IMPACTED 200 FT HIGH RIDGE NEAR AIRPORT. VFR PILOT ONLY. (.4)THE AIRPLANE WAS DISPATCHED TO PICK UP A STRANDED FLIGHTCREW THAT LANDED AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, 70 MILES FROM HOME BASE. FOG HAD FORMED IN THE AREA. THE AIRPLANE CIRCLED THE AIRPORT, ABOVE THE FOG LAYER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO LAND DUE TO THE FOG. AFTER CIRCLING THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE WAS HEARD PROCEEDING EAST BOUND UNTIL THE SOUND OF THE ENGINES DISAPPEARED. AN ELT SIGNAL WAS RECEIVED BY ANOTHER AIRPLANE ON THE 290 DEGREE RADIAL, 19 MILES FROM THE MILSAP VOR. THERE WERE NO REPORTED EYEWITNESSES. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED THE NEXT MORNING ON THE EASTERN LEDGE OF A GRANITE RIDGELINE OF A NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED HILL RISING APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET ABOVE THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED FOR 270 FEET ON A HEADING OF 240 DEGREES. SIGNATURES AT THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT INDICATE THAT THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED TREES AND TERRAIN IN CONTROLLED FLIGHT IN A SLIGHT LEFT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED. THE LANDING GEAR AND FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. (-23) ON FEBRUARY 3, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:35 PM, A PIPER SENECA, OWNED BY JAMES DAVIS AND JOHN WHITMORE, CRASHED DURING A NIGHT FLIGHT. WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEMOLISHED AND TWO FATALITIES OCCURRED. THE PILOT WAS A PRIVATE PILOT, AIRPLANE SINGLE, MULTIENGINE LAND. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT ARLINGTON AIRPORT, TEXAS (F54), AT 8:45 PM, FEBRUARY 3, 1998.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB FTW98FA117Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportGraford, TXThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the ground. Factors were the dark night, the rising terrain, and the ground fog obscuring the ground.Feb 4, 1998 · Destroyed

Other reports on N15566 · 1

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

Accident 19740811033239APerryton, TXOwnr notcd dmg to acft while arbrn. Acft prvsly flwn by other pltsAug 11, 1974 · Substantial damage