Piper PA-34-200T N6390C
8 April 1995 · Covington, Tennessee, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 8 April 1995 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N6390C, operated by Perkins, Bradley H., was involved in an accident near Covington, Tennessee, 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 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Covington, Tennessee, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.5593, -89.6396
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Registration
- N6390C
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Perkins, Bradley H.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Arlington → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL95FA078
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT EXCEEDED THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SUBSEQUENT OVERLOAD FAILURES OF THE STABILATOR AND WING SPARS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS MAKING WHAT WAS REPORTED TO BE HIS LAST FLIGHT IN THE AIRPLANE, BECAUSE HE WAS TAKING A JOB AS A COMMUTER PILOT. A CFI, WHO TALKED WITH THE PILOT BEFORE DEPARTURE, REPORTED THAT THE PILOT SAID HE WAS GOING TO 'ROLL THE AIRPLANE.' WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE RIGHT WING FOLDED BACK, WITH A LOUD BOOMING NOISE. NO INFLIGHT SMOKE OR FIRE WAS REPORTED. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT STABILATOR FAILED IN POSITIVE OVERLOAD (FAILED DOWN). THE RIGHT WING FAILED AT THE WING ROOT, AND ALSO OUTBOARD OF THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE LEFT WING FAILED OUTBOARD OF THE LEFT ENGINE. WING SPAR EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THERE WAS UPWARD (POSITIVE) BENDING, BUT FAILURE WAS IN THE DOWNWARD DIRECTION. ALL FRACTURE SURFACES SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD; THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE OBSERVED. THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK INCLUDES THE LIMITATION THAT ALL INTENTIONAL AEROBATIC MANEUVERS ARE PROHIBITED IN THIS AIRPLANE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-34-200 | Avalon, California, United States | Aero Club | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-34-200T | Poznan, Poland | Herman LEE Giger | Fatal | 6 |
| 23 Mar 1995 | Piper PA-34 | Boynton Beach, Florida, United States | Biederman, Shervin | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-34 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Willard Nickish | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-34-200 | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-34-200 | Kissimmee, Florida, United States | Aero Club L'aquila Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-46 | Dayton, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1995 | Beechcraft A36 | McKenzie, Tennessee, United States | Ralph D. Golden | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Bolivar, Tennessee, United States | Alec S. Bari | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1995 | Allen MUSTANG II | Jasper, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Sep 1995 | Beechcraft A35 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Perry Pemberton | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1995 | Bell 47G | Union City, Tennessee, United States | Gordon Wade | No injuries | - |