Piper PA-28-180 N7895W

Summary

On 3 October 2012 at about 03:24 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N7895W, operated by Harris Bernard J JR, was involved in an accident near Beatty, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 2012 at 03:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Beatty, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Beatty Airport (BTY)

Coordinates

36.8567, -116.7853

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N7895W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Harris Bernard J JR

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reno-Stead → Henderson Exec

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR13FA001

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate flight planning, subsequent loss of situational awareness, and failure to maintain clearance from the power lines during a dark night approach to a closed, unlit runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that a temporary flight restriction (TFR) was in effect for his intended destination airport and that he was unclear on whether the TFR would prevent him from landing at that airport. The TFR stated that transit operations were allowed only if a discrete code was assigned by air traffic control (ATC) before the airplane’s departure. The pilot mistakenly thought he could pick up the discrete code while airborne. Because the pilot was unable to contact ATC at his intended destination during the flight and the airplane was running low on fuel, he diverted to an alternate airport. At the alternate airport, the pilot initiated a straight-in approach to the runway in darkness, over flat, featureless terrain; the pilot reported that the only airport lighting he saw was the airport beacon. During the approach, the airplane struck high tension power lines about 1 mile south of the runway. Further, according to an applicable notice to airmen, the airport that the pilot diverted to was closed when the accident occurred. The pilot most likely flew a lower than desired approach altitude due to the night time conditions and featureless terrain. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.