Piper PA-34-220T N8468H
15 November 1996 · West Milton, Ohio, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 15 November 1996 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-34-220T registered N8468H was involved in an accident near West Milton, Ohio, 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 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Milton, Ohio, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.9509, -84.3194
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T
- Registration
- N8468H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Brookville → Lima
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD97FA022
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain aircraft control after an undetermined failure of the automatic flight control. A contributing factor was failure of the maintenance technician to have the airplane test flown prior to release.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot and passenger were dropped off to pick up the pilot's airplane, after a new Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) unit had been installed. After takeoff, the pilot stated to the flight instructor over the Unicom frequency that he was having problems with his trim and was heading for Dayton. Before contacting the Dayton Airport, the pilot stated the airplane had a full deflection of elevator down trim, and he was having difficulty holding his altitude. The instructor asked if he had pulled the circuit breaker for the trim, and the pilot answered yes. Shortly thereafter the airplane impacted into a farm field in a near vertical attitude. The King KLN 89 GPS unit was wired to the number one VOR and the autopilot in such a manner that the GPS could be coupled to the autopilot. According to the technician, after installation the system was checked on the ground and found to be operational. The repair technician failed to have the aircraft test flown in accordance with FAR 91.407 (b) prior to releasing it to the pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-34-200T | Cle Elum, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-34-200T | Gulfport, Mississippi, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-34-200T | Des Moines, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1996 | Piper PA-34-200 | Avalon, California, United States | Flight International | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 1996 | Piper PA-34-200T | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | F and B Aviation Inc | Fatal | 3 |
| 13 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-34-200T | Wichita Falls, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul 1996 | Cessna 150 | Vincent, Ohio, United States | David & Susan Board | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 1996 | Boeing Stearman E75N1 | Goshen, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1996 | Cessna 152 | Blue Ash, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 1996 | Cessna 172M | Tremont City, Ohio, United States | MAD River Airport, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 1996 | Corben Baby Ace C-1 | Portsmouth, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1996 | Cessna 150 | Waverly, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |