Piper PA-32R-300 N6126J

Summary

On 26 August 2003 at about 17:09 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N6126J, operated by Murfey, George J., was involved in an accident near Warm Lake, Idaho, 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

26 August 2003 at 17:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Warm Lake, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

44.6692, -115.6744

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N6126J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Murfey, George J.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hailey → Priest River

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03FA173

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during final approach resulting in a stall/spin. Contributing factors were the rapidly rising terrain and trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft departed about 1020 bound for its destination. An onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) system, which was recovered at the accident site, retained latitude, longitude, time and altitude for the flight. The GPS data showed the pilot turning north and then initiating a descent from 11,000 feet approximately 45 minutes after takeoff. The data tracked the aircraft through the descent and a turn to the east and then through approximately 135 degrees of right turn to ground impact. Witnesses at a temporary firefighting landing site located a half mile southwest of the crash site and equipped with a windsock and helicopter observed the aircraft fly west to east slightly north of the landing site and roughly parallel to the axis of the landing area. They observed the landing gear extend and watched the aircraft execute a descending right turn as if the aircraft were lining up to land at the helibase. One witness commented that the aircraft was "moving extremely slow, at/near stall speed" and another witness remarked that the aircraft "appeared to stall" descending vertically to ground impact. On site examination revealed a near vertical (83 degree) ground impact along with evidence of high rotational energy of the propeller immediately before/at ground impact. The aircraft's last GPS target showed it at an altitude of 5,666 feet and the ground impact was at 5,410 feet. The aircraft's track from the 90 degree position of the approach through the 135 degree position placed it over rapidly up sloping terrain ascending more than 200 feet during this 45 degree arc of the approach turn. The terrain was heavily populated with conifer trees approximately 75 feet in height and a high tension power line traversed the top of the hill slightly below tree top level. Post-crash examination revealed no indication of control discontinuity or powerplant malfunction. Examination of the aircraft's fuel system found fuel at the fuel flow divider, both gas caps secured and no evidence of fuel staining at the low point (belly) drain or on the exterior of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.