Piper PA-28R N33066

Summary

On 17 May 1983 at about 00:45 local time, a Piper PA-28R registered N33066 was involved in an accident near Burns, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

17 May 1983 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Burns, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.1895, -104.3491

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R

Registration

N33066

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hays → Chester

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

DEN83FA114

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

BEFORE DEPARTING, THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING & WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED THRU WESTERN NEBRASKA & EASTERN WYOMING. A FRONTAL WX SYS WAS FORCASTED TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH ASSOCIATED TURBULENCE & RAIN. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT WAS ANXIOUS TO MAKE THE FLT SO HE COULD DELIVER NEEDED PARTS FOR A MACHINE THAT WAS TO BE USED IN A PUBLICLY ADVERTISED DEMONSTRATION. ADDITIONALLY, HE FELT HE COULD HELP HIS PARTNER COMPLETE THE PROJECT IN TIME FOR THE DEMONSTRATION. THE PLT ELECTED TO FILE A VFR FLT & THEN DEPARTED AS PLANNED. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED WX & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED. JUST BEFORE IMPACT, THE ACFT WAS SEEN SPIRALING AFTER IT CAME OUT OF A LOW OVERCAST WITH NO RIGHT WING OR TAIL SECTION. AFTER THE PLANE CRASHED, A WITNESS SAW THE RIGHT WING 'DRIFTING DOWN.' AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILATORS FAILED FROM POSITIVE AIRLOADS & THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WING SECTION FAILED FROM NEGATIVE AIRLOADS. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF A MALFUNCTION/FAILURE BEFORE INFLT BREAKUP.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.