Piper PA-28-181 N39770

Summary

On 15 April 1994 at about 15:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N39770 was involved in an accident near Opelika, Alabama, 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.

Date

15 April 1994 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Opelika, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N39770

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plant City → Clarksville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL94FA082

2 people died.

LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS (CLOUDS WITH LOW CEILING), CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND FAILURE OF MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO INSTALL THE REAR WING-TO-FUSELAGE ATTACH BOLTS.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS ON A FLIGHT FROM PLANT CITY, FL, TO CLARKSVILLE, TN. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. LOCAL WITNESSES STATED THERE WERE BLACK CLOUDS IN THE ACCIDENT AREA; THEY ESTIMATED THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 800'. THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTHWEST & GUSTY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN TO EXIT THE BASE OF THE CLOUDS IN A NOSE DOWN SPIRAL. AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRCRAFT OCCURRED; WRECKAGE WAS FOUND OVER A 1500' AREA. THE RIGHT WING, BOTH STABILATORS & THE VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE FOUND AT A REMOTE DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. UPWARD DEFORMATION WAS FOUND, WHERE THE RIGHT WING & STABILATORS HAD SEPARATED. RECORDS SHOWED THAT ON 12/30/93, MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL HAD REPLACED BOTH REAR FUSELAGE-TO-WING ATTACH POINT BRACKETS. THE REAR ATTACH POINT BRACKETS WERE FOUND IN PLACE FOR BOTH WINGS (ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FUSELAGE), BUT NEITHER THE RIGHT NOR THE LEFT WING REAR ATTACH BOLT WAS FOUND. NO SIGN OF STRETCHING OR STRESS WAS FOUND AT THE BOLT HOLES IN THE BRACKETS. THE PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED 18 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN PREPARATION FOR AN INSTRUMENT RATING & HAD PASSED THE WRITTEN TEST, BUT HE HAD NOT TAKEN A PRACTICAL TEST FOR THE RATING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.