Piper PA-38-112 N2584N

Summary

On 15 August 2011 at about 17:30 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N2584N, operated by JJ Aviation, was involved in an accident near Silver Bow, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 August 2011 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Silver Bow, Montana, United States

Coordinates

46.0028, -112.6594

Aircraft

Piper PA-38-112

Registration

N2584N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

JJ Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Butte → Butte

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11FA383

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator stated that the flight instructor indicated that the purpose of the instructional flight was to have the student conduct a series of touch-and-go landings before proceeding to the training area where he intended on having the student practice steep turns, turns around a point, and holding a level altitude. A witness located near the accident site reported seeing the airplane flying in a clockwise horizontal circle with the wings almost vertical, while slowly losing altitude. The airplane appeared to be attempting to straighten out and climb when it then went straight down in a nosedive. A second witness observed the airplane spinning to the right before descending. The witness reported that before losing sight of the airplane, it appeared to be pulling up. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with a right wing low and nose low impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe, flight control system, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. From the witness observations, it is likely that the airplane entered a spin and the pilot was not able to regain control. It could not be determined who was at the flight controls at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.