Piper PA-23-250 N4TR

Summary

On 21 April 2007 at about 13:10 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N4TR was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean. 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

21 April 2007 at 13:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlantic Ocean

Coordinates

37.6345, -72.8620

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-250

Registration

N4TR

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Lauderdale → Andros Island

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07LA084

5 people died.

The pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into known adverse weather conditions, resulting in an in-flight loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident were thunderstorms.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot received a weather briefing 30-minutes prior to departure, in which he was informed that the remains of a low pressure system was in the area of the Northern Bahamas and that some showers associated with the remains were present along the coast of Florida. The weather was moving to the south and that locally there were some heavy weather returns, generally 10 miles or less. The flight departed and the pilot was instructed to maintain visual flight rules conditions. When cleared to climb to his cruising altitude the pilot stated that he was going to stay around 2,500 feet for he had some weather in front of him. The pilot was told to contact another controller and when contact was made, the pilot reported he was at 4,000 feet, climbing to his cruise altitude. No further transmissions were received from the pilot and shortly thereafter the flight was lost from radar contact. Air traffic control radar data overlaid with weather radar data showed the flight entered a line of weather containing Video Integrator Processor Level 4 thunderstorms just prior to being lost from radar. A debris field was located on the ocean by a Coast Guard helicopter about 95 minutes after the accident. The field contained aircraft and human remains and a jacket being carried by one of the airplanes occupants was recovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.