Piper PA-28-151 N43313

Summary

On 23 September 1992 at about 10:26 local time, a Piper PA-28-151 registered N43313, operated by Benson, Paul D., was involved in an accident near Samantha, Alabama, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 September 1992 at 10:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Samantha, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-151

Registration

N43313

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Benson, Paul D.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Louis → Panama City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL92FA185

3 people died.

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION, HIS LACK OF EXPEREINCE, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ENCOUNTER WITH INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING AN ATTEMPTED VISUAL FLIGHT, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS, CLOUDS, AND THE PILOT'S GEOGRAPHICAL DISORIENTATION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING & FILED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN JUST BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. CLOUD LAYERS WERE FORECAST ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. EN ROUTE HE CONTACTED ATC & SAID HE WAS LOST. HIS CONVERSATION INDICATED THAT HE WAS IN CLOUDS. RADAR INFORMATION DEPICTED THAT THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRPLANE BECAME ERRATIC IN HEADING & ALTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP FLIGHT PATH & NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED HIS PRIVATE CERTIFICATE ABOUT THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. HIS PILOT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD BEEN RECEIVING INSTRUMENT FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. HE HAD A TOTAL OF 7 SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT HOURS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.