20120708015799A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-42 · Beckley, WV · July 8, 2012

Date: July 8, 2012 · 21:13 local
Place: Beckley, WV
Phase of flight: Climb
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N332SM
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA12LA435
Reported as: Piper PA-42
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,300 total420 in this make and model89 in the last 90 days

N332SMRegistration cancelled Jun 13, 2022 · Piper PA-42S/N 42-8001020 · Built 1981 Airframe modelPiper PA-42 Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A 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.

Charleston airport, WV (crw): N332SM, a PA-42 cheyenne iii, lost gyros after encountering undetected severe convective acivity and returned and landed on runway 5. Prior to landing the aircraft was observed climbing out of 18,000 feet and within a minute ascended to 21,000 feet, and descended to 8,000 feet resulting in damage to the elevators. POB: 3, injuries: none, damage: sustantialsee attached pilot statement

As the FAA filed it

CHARLESTON AIRPORT, WV (CRW): N332SM, A PA-42 CHEYENNE III, LOST GYROS AFTER ENCOUNTERING UNDETECTED SEVERE CONVECTIVE ACIVITY AND RETURNED AND LANDED ON RUNWAY 5. PRIOR TO LANDING THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED CLIMBING OUT OF 18,000 FEET AND WITHIN A MINUTE ASCENDED TO 21,000 FEET, AND DESCENDED TO 8,000 FEET RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ELEVATORS. POB: 3, INJURIES: NONE, DAMAGE: SUSTANTIALSEE ATTACHED PILOT STATEMENT

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 ERA12LA435Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCharleston, WVThe airplane’s encounter with a gravity-wave duct atmospheric phenomenon.Jul 9, 2012 · Substantial damage