Piper PA-32RT-300 N9738C

Summary

On 20 July 2002 at about 10:00 local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300 registered N9738C was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, Bahamas. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2002 at 10:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlantic Ocean, Bahamas

Coordinates

37.6348, -72.8615

Aircraft

Piper PA-32RT-300

Registration

N9738C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Freeport → Palm Beach

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ATL02LA144

5 people died.

The pilot continued VFR flight into IMC and thunderstorm conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated private pilot encountered level 4 thunderstorms and collided into the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles west of Freeport, Bahamas. There were no records of weather briefings made to the pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to the accident. According to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center, the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 4700 feet when radio and radar contact was lost. During the subsequent search for the missing airplane, the Coast Guard recovered three occupants and about 300 pounds of aircraft wreckage/debris.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.