20211205020619A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Medford, OR · December 5, 2021

Date: December 5, 2021 · 15:50 local
Place: Medford, OR
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N64BR
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR22FA055
Reported as: Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,054 total

N64BRRegistration cancelled Mar 4, 2023 · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7752124 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350 Engine 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.

Aircraft departed Medford airport at about 1550 local time, the pilot initially querried tower about when to start the right turn on the IFR departure (SID). Tower instructed the pilot to follow the published departure and read out the instructions. The radar tracks show the aircraft starting a right turn. They are given a low altitude alert by tower. There was no response from the pilot. Radar tracks show some aggressive climbing and descending and surevillance videos capture the the aircraft impacting the ground at a near vertical angle.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED MEDFORD AIRPORT AT ABOUT 1550 LOCAL TIME, THE PILOT INITIALLY QUERRIED TOWER ABOUT WHEN TO START THE RIGHT TURN ON THE IFR DEPARTURE (SID). TOWER INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO FOLLOW THE PUBLISHED DEPARTURE AND READ OUT THE INSTRUCTIONS. THE RADAR TRACKS SHOW THE AIRCRAFT STARTING A RIGHT TURN. THEY ARE GIVEN A LOW ALTITUDE ALERT BY TOWER. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE PILOT. RADAR TRACKS SHOW SOME AGGRESSIVE CLIMBING AND DESCENDING AND SUREVILLANCE VIDEOS CAPTURE THE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE GROUND AT A NEAR VERTICAL ANGLE.

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 WPR22FA055Accident · 2 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportMedford, ORThe pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the initial climb into clouds due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain.Dec 6, 2021 · Destroyed