What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft was at FL180, deviating around weather sw of socorro, NM. The controller noticed the altitude in the data block (mode c) showing a descent and he attempted to contact the acft with no response. Radar was lost when acft passed 15,600 ft. forrestry service reported an acft on fire. Two fatalities. (.19)on July 19, 1999, approximately 1420 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N22KC, was destroyed when it broke up in-flight and impacted the terrain near Magdalena, new Mexico. The instrument rated private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot and operated by r.j. and r.k. inc., of panama city, Florida, under title 14 CFR part 91. The weather conditions at the accident location are as yet unknown for the cross-country personal flight which originated from lubbock, Texas, approximately 1.5 hours before the accident. An IFR flight plan had been filed with the FAA. The albuquerque center controller reported that the pilot requested to deviate his flight path due to weather. Approximately 2 minutes later, the airplane desappeared from his radar screen. Approximately 1433, a U.S. Forest service employee reported seeing smoke in the Magdalena area, and personnel were sent to investigate, and the burning airplane was found on a hillside. (-23) pilot was flying around thunderstorms when he penetrated a small cell and he over controlled the aircraft causing excessive forces on horizontal stabilizer which caused it to fail and the excessive negative load caused wings to fail. The left wing broke off and the right wing was held on only with flight control cables. The right wing knocked off the rest of tail and aircraft crashed killing both pilot and passenger. The wreckage was consumed by fire. (.4)the pilot was flying parallel to a line of thunderstorms at 18,000 feet. Radar data and weather data indicated that the pilot turned to pass through the wall of cells where satellite infrared data indicated a hole. The pilot was flying a new turbocharged airplane which was equipped with oxygen, and a storm scope. No documentation was located to indicate that the pilot was ever trained in high altitude flying, in operating a turbocharged airplane, and in the use of the on board wx detection system. Meteorological studies indicated that the storm cells near the accident site were developing very quickly, and were extremely turbulent. The left wing, vertical stabilizer, and all the pieces of the stabilizer were found approximately 4,000 feet west of the fuselage and right wing.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT WAS AT FL180, DEVIATING AROUND WEATHER SW OF SOCORRO, NM. THE CONTROLLER NOTICED THE ALTITUDE IN THE DATA BLOCK (MODE C) SHOWING A DESCENT AND HE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE ACFT WITH NO RESPONSE. RADAR WAS LOST WHEN ACFT PASSED 15,600 FT. FORRESTRY SERVICE REPORTED AN ACFT ON FIRE. TWO FATALITIES. (.19)ON JULY 19, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 1420 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-32R-301T, N22KC, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT BROKE UP IN-FLIGHT AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN NEAR MAGDALENA, NEW MEXICO. THE INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED BY THE PILOT AND OPERATED BY R.J. AND R.K. INC., OF PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE ACCIDENT LOCATION ARE AS YET UNKNOWN FOR THE CROSS-COUNTRY PERSONAL FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED FROM LUBBOCK, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 1.5 HOURS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED WITH THE FAA. THE ALBUQUERQUE CENTER CONTROLLER REPORTED THAT THE PILOT REQUESTED TO DEVIATE HIS FLIGHT PATH DUE TO WEATHER. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES LATER, THE AIRPLANE DESAPPEARED FROM HIS RADAR SCREEN. APPROXIMATELY 1433, A U.S. FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYEE REPORTED SEEING SMOKE IN THE MAGDALENA AREA, AND PERSONNEL WERE SENT TO INVESTIGATE, AND THE BURNING AIRPLANE WAS FOUND ON A HILLSIDE. (-23) PILOT WAS FLYING AROUND THUNDERSTORMS WHEN HE PENETRATED A SMALL CELL AND HE OVER CONTROLLED THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING EXCESSIVE FORCES ON HORIZONTAL STABILIZER WHICH CAUSED IT TO FAIL AND THE EXCESSIVE NEGATIVE LOAD CAUSED WINGS TO FAIL. THE LEFT WING BROKE OFF AND THE RIGHT WING WAS HELD ON ONLY WITH FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES. THE RIGHT WING KNOCKED OFF THE REST OF TAIL AND AIRCRAFT CRASHED KILLING BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER. THE WRECKAGE WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. (.4)THE PILOT WAS FLYING PARALLEL TO A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS AT 18,000 FEET. RADAR DATA AND WEATHER DATA INDICATED THAT THE PILOT TURNED TO PASS THROUGH THE WALL OF CELLS WHERE SATELLITE INFRARED DATA INDICATED A HOLE. THE PILOT WAS FLYING A NEW TURBOCHARGED AIRPLANE WHICH WAS EQUIPPED WITH OXYGEN, AND A STORM SCOPE. NO DOCUMENTATION WAS LOCATED TO INDICATE THAT THE PILOT WAS EVER TRAINED IN HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING, IN OPERATING A TURBOCHARGED AIRPLANE, AND IN THE USE OF THE ON BOARD WX DETECTION SYSTEM. METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES INDICATED THAT THE STORM CELLS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE WERE DEVELOPING VERY QUICKLY, AND WERE EXTREMELY TURBULENT. THE LEFT WING, VERTICAL STABILIZER, AND ALL THE PIECES OF THE STABILIZER WERE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 4,000 FEET WEST OF THE FUSELAGE AND RIGHT WING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.