Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Salem, Ohio 44460
Saturday, April 16, 1994 1:04 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT DEPARTED INTO MARGINAL VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS LATE AT NIGHT WITHOUT RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING. HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. BEFORE DEPARTURE, A WITNESS NOTED THE PILOT LOOKED 'A LITTLE TIRED' AND THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AN AIRPLANE PROBLEM. RECORDED RADAR DATA, METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATED THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN AREA OF CLOUDS, RAIN, AND MODERATE TURBULENCE, ALL OF WHICH WERE FORECAST. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE PLANE HAD ENTERED A RAPID DESCENDING TURN FROM ABOUT 5700' MSL, THEN RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRPLANE OCCURRED, AND WRECKAGE WAS FOUND OVER A 3/4 MILE AREA. AN EXAM OF THE FRACTURES REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE STABILATORS AND LEFT WING FAILED FROM OVERLOAD IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WING PANEL FAILED UPWARD FROM OVERLOAD, AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER HAD FAILED TO THE RIGHT FROM TORSIONAL LOADS. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN RECENTLY STRIPPED AND REPAINTED, BUT NO PRE-ACCIDENT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY WAS FOUND.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/16/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 104 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | SALEM |
| Event State | OHIO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 44460 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 100 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 265 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CAK |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1228 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 25 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 5 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 16 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 25 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 643 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 16 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 430 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 10:59AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Unknown |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8685C |
| NTSB Number | BFO94FA066 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32R-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32R-300 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32R-7680133 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 19 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 74 |
| Airframe Hours | 6153 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AFFORDABLE LEASING, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 317 |
| Aircraft Owner City | LAKEVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | MI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 48366 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | AFFORDABLE LEASING, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 317 |
| Operator City | LAKEVILLE |
| Operator State | MI |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 48366 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 22G |
| Departure City | ELYRIA |
| Departure State | OH |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 40 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | JYO |
| Destination City | LEESBURG |
| Destination State | VA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |