Piper PA-28R-201T N47402
15 March 1993 · Radium Springs, New Mexico, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 15 March 1993 at about 02:42 local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T registered N47402 was involved in an accident near Radium Springs, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:42
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Radium Springs, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T
- Registration
- N47402
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Las Cruces
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- FTW93FA105
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE'S VACUUM SYSTEM. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE DARK NIGHT, SNOW, THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN FLYING IN ACTUAL INTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AT 10,000 FT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHE WAS IN LIGHT SNOW. SUBSEQUENTLY, SHE REPORTED THAT SHE HAD LOST THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR, WAS IN IMC, AND '...WE'RE IN TROUBLE.' NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY BROKE UP IN FLIGHT. MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF THE WARNING LIGHT BULB FOR THE VACUUM SYSTEM REVEALED A STRETCHED FILAMENT. PITTING AND SCORING WAS NOTED IN THE BASE OF THE VACUUM PUMP CASE. ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY PRODUCED SPECTRA OF PARTICLES FOUND IN THE VACUUM PUMP REGULATOR VALVE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE VACUUM PUMP ROTOR AND VANE FRAGMENTS. WITH 2.2 INCHES OF MERCURY DIFFERENTIAL AIR PRESSURE, THE NORMAL TEST PRESSURE, THE ROTOR OF THE ATTITUDE GYRO ASSEMBLY STARTED, BUT THE ROTOR BEARINGS WERE VERY ROUGH. THIS WAS THE PILOT'S FIRST KNOWN FLIGHT IN ACTUAL INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Apr 1993 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Midlothian, Texas, United States | Williams, Kenneth W. | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 1993 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Hesperia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 1993 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Ephrata, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Jan 1993 | Piper PA-28R-201T | Concord, California, United States | Richard Talley/Larry Shattuck | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1993 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Kinsley, Kansas, United States | Larry Leoffler | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Feb 1993 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States | Johnson, Rollie C. | No injuries | - |
All 1,342 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1993 | Piper PA-28-180 | Magdalena, New Mexico, United States | Klungle, Robert L. | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 1993 | Cessna 340A | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | Omega Associates PA | No injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 1993 | Bell 204-B | Cedar Crest, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 1993 | Cessna 172N | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Peacock Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1993 | Cessna 180J | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | George H. Burk | No injuries | - |
| 11 Mar 1993 | Mistretta CHALLENGER II | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Mistretta, Charles J. | No injuries | - |