Piper PA-32-260 N64FP

Summary

On 12 May 2008 at about 09:33 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N64FP was involved in an accident near Cruso, North Carolina, 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

12 May 2008 at 09:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Cruso, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)

Coordinates

35.4053, -82.8453

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N64FP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rutherfordton → N. Little Rock

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC08FA180

2 people died.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions with moderate to severe turbulence prevailing. Contributing to the accident were the instrument meteorological conditions and turbulence.

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 departed in the early morning hours, before daylight, on a cross-country flight. There was no record of the pilot receiving a preflight weather briefing from either a Flight Service Station or a computer service. About 30 minutes into the flight, the airplane changed its heading twice with accompanying rapid changes in altitude. Shortly thereafter the airplane began a rapid descent and collided with steep mountainous terrain. According to radar analysis of the flight conducted by a Safety Board meteorology specialist, the first-half of the flight took place under visual meteorological conditions; however, during the remainder of the flight the airplane most likely entered both a wave cloud and a layer of broken-overcast clouds that bordered the flight path. Strong northwesterly winds normal to mountain ridges existed in the general area at the time of the accident. These winds would have caused the airplane to experience moderate to severe turbulence, and strong downdrafts due to either mechanical turbulence or mountain waves in the location where the final rapid descent occurred. There was no evidence of premishap mechanical malfunction or failure observed during the examination of the engine or airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.