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20040807019499A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Burnet, TX · August 7, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 7, 2004 · 16:58 local
Place
Burnet, TX
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N927RP
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW04FA208
Reported as
Piper PA32300
Reported engine
Lycoming IO540K1A5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
N927RPRegistration cancelled May 19, 2007 · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-7340152 · Built 1973Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

(-23) Witnesses reported an aircraft to authorities, as coming out of the clouds in a diving position straight down, then disappearing behing a tree line. The aircraft was a single-engine airplane and was destroyed upon impact with terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near Burnet, Texas. The non-instrument rated private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the part 91 personal flight. The airplane impacted terrain and came to rest in a remote area of northwest Burnet county, approximately 32 miles from horseshoe bay airpark (4XS7). The pilot had a private pilot certificate with single-engine rating that was issued on March 16, 2004. The pilot received three weather briefings from the san angelo flight service station. Parts of the airplane, including the left wing, flap, and landing gear were scattered up to one-half mile from the main wreckage. A report from the automated surface observation system (ASOS) weather station indicated that the winds were variable at 3 knots, visibility was 9-statute miles, and sky conditions was overcast at 4,300 feet.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WITNESSES REPORTED AN AIRCRAFT TO AUTHORITIES, AS COMING OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A DIVING POSITION STRAIGHT DOWN, THEN DISAPPEARING BEHING A TREE LINE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS A SINGLE-ENGINE AIRPLANE AND WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR BURNET, TEXAS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN AND CAME TO REST IN A REMOTE AREA OF NORTHWEST BURNET COUNTY, APPROXIMATELY 32 MILES FROM HORSESHOE BAY AIRPARK (4XS7). THE PILOT HAD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH SINGLE-ENGINE RATING THAT WAS ISSUED ON MARCH 16, 2004. THE PILOT RECEIVED THREE WEATHER BRIEFINGS FROM THE SAN ANGELO FLIGHT SERVICE STATION. PARTS OF THE AIRPLANE, INCLUDING THE LEFT WING, FLAP, AND LANDING GEAR WERE SCATTERED UP TO ONE-HALF MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. A REPORT FROM THE AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVATION SYSTEM (ASOS) WEATHER STATION INDICATED THAT THE WINDS WERE VARIABLE AT 3 KNOTS, VISIBILITY WAS 9-STATUTE MILES, AND SKY CONDITIONS WAS OVERCAST AT 4,300 FEET.

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 FTW04FA208Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportBurnet, TXThe pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather, VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. A contributing factor was the cloudy weather.Aug 7, 2004 · Destroyed