Piper PA-32-260 N5502J

Summary

On 27 April 1984 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N5502J, operated by Redstone Arsenal, was involved in an accident near Maynardville, Tennessee, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

27 April 1984 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Maynardville, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

36.2406, -83.7993

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N5502J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Redstone Arsenal

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntsville → Harrisonburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL84FA151

5 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN UNCONTROLLED STATE AFTER THE AIRFRAME FAILED IN FLT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT SPINNING OUT OF THE CLOUDS WITH PARTS OF THE AIRFRAME SEPARATING AS IT DESCENDED. THE WEATHER HAD BEEN DESCRIBED TO THE PLT IN 2 WX BRIEFINGS. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE WX WAS 3500 FT OVERCAST WITH TOPS AT 8000 FT MSL, LIGHT TURBULENCE BELOW 10,000 FT, FREEZING LEVEL ABOVE 10,000 FT. THERE WAS A FLT PRECAUTION FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA OF APRX 2000 FT LONG X 50 FT WIDE. PAPER DEBRIS WAS FOUND UP TO 4 MI FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS DIVIDED INTO 2 MAIN SECTIONS WHICH WERE SEPARATED BY A COUNTY ROAD. NE OF THE ROAD WERE PARTS FROM THE EMPENNAGE SECTION. SW OF THE ROAD WERE COMPONENTS FROM THE MAIN FUSELAGE & THE SEPARATED WING ASSEMBLIES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.