# Accident 20200605006639A: Piper PA-31T, Eatonton, GA, June 5, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 5, 2020, 15:15 local time
- Place: Eatonton, GA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.3814° N, 83.3289° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3814&lon=-83.3289&mi=10
- Aircraft: N135VE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N135VE-2023-01-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31T (registry code 7103124, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 (registry code 52173, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-135) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-31T
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PT6A-135
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA206) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200605006639A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

WEATHER CONSISTED OF A BAND OF THUNDER HEADS WHERE AIRCRAFT WAS LOST FROM RADAR.  FLIGHT AWARE FLIGHT TRACKING INDICATED THE FLIGHT HAD JUST PENETRATED A HEAVY AREA OF PRECIPITATION. AIRCRAFT PARTS SEPARATED IN FLIGHT.  95% OF AIRCRAFT PART RECOVERED OVER AN APPROXIMATE 1-2 MILE NORTH WESTERN PATH.

AIRCRAFT LOST IN FLIGHT ALL PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROLS, LEFT AND RIGHT OUT BOARD WING SECTIONS AND LEFT ENGINE ASSEMBLY. AIRCRAFT WAS WITNESSED AND VIDEO TO FALL FROM SKY IN A FLAT SPIN AND ON FIRE, GROUND INDICATION SUPPORTED WITNESS VIDEO, ALSO NOTED AIRCRAFT WAS INVERTED WHEN CONTACTED THE GROUND.

## 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 ERA20LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA206), Jun 5, 2020: Piper PA 31T (N135VE), Eatonton, GA, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions, which placed the airplane in an unusual attitude from which the pilot could not…

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.

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