- Date
- September 6, 1992, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Broussard, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7065YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19920906035399A
- Case key
- 18373
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's decision to fly into known adverse weather and the resultant in flight break up of the airplane.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After a complete weather briefing forecasting thunderstorms along the route, the pilot encountered and attempted to fly through thunderstorm activity. Manually digitized radar and national track analysis program recorded radar data indicated penetration of a very strong (vip level four) weather echo containing a thunderstorm with very heavy rain showers, moderate to severe turbulence, and up and down drafts. Recorded radar indicated that airplane control was lost at its cruising altitude of 8,000 feet. The outboard sections of both wings, most of the horizontal stabilizer, and pieces of windshield and cabin windows were found in a one half to one mile arc west of the main wreckage. All failures were overload. The ten month and four year old children in the rear seat were restrained in child safety seats and survived. The pilot had been given clearance to deviate as necessary for weather avoidance.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7065Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-78
- Airframe hours
- 4,880
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Camacho, Raul
- Registered owner
- Camacho, Raul
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 31, 1992 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- 6RO · Slidell, LA
- Destination
- ILE · Killeen, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,069 total · 90 in this make and model · 973 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7065Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.