# Accident 20021127033919A: Piper PA32RT300, Bluefield, VA, November 27, 2002 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: November 27, 2002, 18:12 local time - Place: Bluefield, VA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 37.1511° N, 81.1839° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1511&lon=-81.1839&mi=10 - Aircraft: N31554, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N31554-2003-07-22) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300 (registry code 7103215, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA32RT300 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 2,100 total, 500 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD03FA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03FA019) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021127033919A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON NOVEMBER 27, 2002, AT 1812 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-32RT-300, N31554, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED RISING TERRAIN WHILE APPROACHING THE MERCER COUNTY AIRPORT (BLF), BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND THE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT, WHICH ORIGINATED AT THE LEESBURG AIRPORT (LEE), LEESBURG, FLORIDA, ABOUT 1415. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM THE LEESBURG FLIGHT SERVICE STATION. HE THEN FILED TWO IFR FLIGHT PLANS. ONE FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FROM LEESBURG TO THE UNION COUNTY AIRPORT (35A), UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND THE SECOND FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FROM UNION TO BLUEFIELD. DURING THE FIRST FLIGHT, THE PILOT REQUESTED, AND WAS CLEARED, TO OVERFLY UNION AND CONTINUE ON TO BLUEFIELD. AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER REPORTED THAT UPON ARRIVAL IN THE BLUEFIELD AREA, THE PILOT REQUESTED A BRIEF FREQUENCY CHANGE TO CHECK THE WEATHER. AT 1803, THE PILOT REPORTED TO THE CONTROLLER THAT HE HAD OBTAINED THE BLUEFIELD WEATHER, HAD THE AIRPORT IN SIGHT, AND CANCELLED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN. A PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF RADAR DATA REVEALED THAT A TARGET EMITTING THE SAME TRANSPONDER CODE ASSIGNED TO THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE BLUEFIELD AREA ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 360 DEGREES, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 5,600 FEET. THE TARGET CONTINUED ON THAT HEADING FOR 3 MINUTES, WHILE CLIMBING TO 6,000 FEET AND THEN DESCENDING TO 5,800 FEET. DURING THE NEXT MINUTE, THE TARGET MADE A GRADUAL 360-DEGREE DESCENDING LEFT TURN. THE TARGET THEN BRIEFLY LEVELED OFF AT AN ALTITUDE OF 4,700 FEET, ON A HEADING OF 360 DEGREES, BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE LAST RADAR RETURN WAS OBSERVED AT 1803. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED BY THE CIVIL AIR PATROL ON NOVEMBER 28, 2002, AT 1000, ABOUT 9 MILES SOUTH OF THE BLUEFIELD AIRPORT. IT WAS IN A WOODED AREA ON ROUND MOUNTAIN, AT AN ELEVATION OF 3,896 FEET. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED AT 37 DEGREES, 09 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE, 81 DEGREES, 11 MINUTES WEST LONGITUDE. A WRECKAGE PATH, INITIALLY HORIZONTAL, BEGAN WITH A TREE STRIKE AT A HEIGHT OF 30 FEET, ON A 50-FOOT TREE. THE WRECKAGE PATH CONTINUED ON A HEADING OF 360 DEGREES, FOR 94 FEET, OVER TERRAIN WHICH SLOPED UPWARD ABOUT 20 DEGREES. THE PEAK OF THE MOUNTAIN BEYOND THE WRECKAGE PATH ROSE TO 3,900 FEET. ALL FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE. LOCATED ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH WERE BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT WINGTIPS, PORTIONS OF THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, THE RIGHT FLAP, AND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. ALSO LOCATED ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH WERE SEVERAL BRANCHES AND SECTIONS OF TREES, OF VARYING DIAMETERS, CUT AT 45-DEGREE ANGLES. BOTH WINGS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THEIR WING ROOTS AND LOCATED ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, JUST PRIOR TO THE MAIN WRECKAGE, ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH. A 1-FOOT INBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING DISPLAYED A CIRCULAR CONCAVE IMPACT WHICH WAS DISPLACED AFT, FROM THE LEADING EDGE TO THE MAIN SPAR. THE LEFT AILERON WAS ATTACHED TO THE WING, AND THE FLAP WAS ATTACHED AT ITS INBOARD HINGE. THE LEFT FUEL TANK CAP WAS SECURED, AND VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL TANK REVEALED A TRACE OF FUEL. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE FUEL LINE FROM THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING FUEL. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE RIGHT WING ALSO DISPLAYED A CONCAVE IMPACT AT ITS WING ROOT, WHICH DISPLACED ABOUT A 1-FOOT SECTION OF THE WING AFT. THE RIGHT AILERON WAS ATTACHED AT ITS INBOARD HINGE AND THE RIGHT FLAP HAD SEPARATED FROM THE WING. THE RIGHT FUEL CAP WAS SECURED, AND APPROXIMATELY 8 GALLONS OF AVIATION FUEL WERE DRAINED FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST IN A 60-DEGREE RIGHT ROLL ATTITUDE ON A HEADING OF 360 DEGREES, AND CONTAINED THE ENGINE, COCKPIT AREA, FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE. THE FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE REMAINED INTACT, AND THE RUDDER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER WAS INTACT, AND IMPACT DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE RIGHT SIDE WHICH DISPLACED THE LEADING EDGE AFT. THE NOSE WHEEL LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED FROM THE COCKPIT TO ALL CONTROL SURFACES, WITH THE ENDS OF THE CABLES "BROOMSTRAWED" AT THE WING BREAKS. THE ENGINE REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRPLANE AND THE PROPELLER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE. EXAMINATION OF BOTH PROPELLER BLADES REVEALED S-BENDING AND CHORDWISE SCRATCHING. THE ENGINE WAS ROTATED BY HAND AT THE PROPELLER FLANGE, AND THUMB COMPRESSION WAS OBTAINED ON ALL CYLINDERS. VALVE TRAIN CONTINUITY WAS ALSO ESTABLISHED TO THE REAR ACCESSORY DRIVE. FUELWAS OBSERVED AT THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR UNIT, THE FUEL PUMP, AND ALL FUEL NOZZLES. THE DUAL MAGNETO WAS REMOVED FROM THE ENGINE, AND WHEN ROTATED BY HAND, PRODUCED SPARK AT ALL TOWERS. EXAMINATION OF ALL OF THE TOP SPARK PLUGS REVEALED THE ELECTRODES WERE INTACT AND MEDIUM GRAY IN COLOR. BORESCOPE EXAMINATION OF THE CYLINDERS AND PISTONS REVEALED NO ABNORMALITIES. EXAMINATION OF THE VACUUM PUMP REVEALED THE DRIVE COUPLING WAS INTACT, AND NO ABNORMALITIES WERE NOTED WITH THE ROTOR OR INTERNAL VANES. THE PILOT HELD A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH RATINGS FOR AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND AND INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE. HIS MOST RECENT FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) THIRD CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED ON JANUARY 28, 2002, AT WHICH TIME HE REPORTED 2,100 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE. THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK WAS LOCATED IN THE WRECKAGE. THE LOGBOOK WAS IDENTIFIED AS "LOGBOOK NUMBER 4" AND ENTRIES WERE RECORDED FROM MARCH 20, 2000 TO AUGUST 14, 2002. EXAMINATION OF THE ENTRIES REVEALED THAT SINCE MARCH 20, 2002, THE PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED 233 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, OF WHICH, 7.3 WERE AT NIGHT AND 52.9 WERE IN ACTUAL INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. A REVIEW OF AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE LOGBOOKS DID NOT REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES. THE AIRPLANE'S MOST RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED ON AUGUST 1, 2002. EXAMINATION OF FUEL RECORDS AT THE LEESBURG AIRPORT REVEALED THE AIRPLANE WAS "TOPPED OFF" WITH 49.2 GALLONS OF AVIATION FUEL ON NOVEMBER 27, 2002, AT 1210. WEATHER, REPORTED AT THE BLUEFIELD AIRPORT, AT 1752, INCLUDED CALM WINDS, 10 MILES VISIBILITY, FEW CLOUDS AT 1,900 FEET, TEMPERATURE 24 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, DEW POINT 17 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, AND BAROMETRIC PRESSURE 30.18 INCHES HG. A "SPECIAL" METAR REPORT WAS ISSUED AT 1812, WHICH INCLUDED BROKEN CLOUDS AT 1,900 FEET. THE ELEVATION AT BLUEFIELD AIRPORT WAS 2,857 FEET. (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT INTO BLF (BLUEFIELD, WV) AND CANCELLED IFR APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF BLF. AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED TO DESCEND WHILE CIRCLING THROUGH A HOLE IN BROKEN CLOUDS, AT NIGHT, AND STRUCK HILLSIDE. ## 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 IAD03FA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03FA019), Nov 27, 2002: Piper PA-32RT-300 (N31554), Bastian, VA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate altitude above terrain. Factors in the accident were the dark night conditions and the low cloud ceiling. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.