Piper PA-30 CFSKO
22 September 1990 · Berlin, Vermont, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 September 1990 at about 17:35 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered CFSKO was involved in an accident near Berlin, Vermont, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Berlin, Vermont, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30
- Registration
- CFSKO
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Halifax → Burlington
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC90FA225
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED HALIFAX FOR BURLINGTON, LOADED ABOUT 400 LBS ABOVE ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFICATED GROSS WEIGHT. HOWEVER, THE EN ROUTE FUEL BURN-OFF HAD REDUCED ITS WEIGHT WITHIN LIMITS. AFTER THE FLIGHT REACHED THE MONTPELIER AREA, THE WEATHER DETERIORATED TO IFR CONDITIONS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INDICATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN INTO CLOUDS SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, JUST BEFORE IT CRASHED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO SPIN OUT OF LOW CLOUDS. THE AUTOPILOT ROLL AXIS WAS FOUND ON, THE PITCH AXIS WAS OFF AND THE ELEVATOR WAS TRIMMED TO A NEAR FULL NOSE DOWN POSITION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-30 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jan 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | Calley, Nicholas O. | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 May 1990 | Piper PA-30 | El Monte, California, United States | Jonathan D. Smalldridge | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | Academy Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Dayton, Tennessee, United States | Lowell B. Pete | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Mar 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Margate, Florida, United States | Bernaby, Frank A. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Delray Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 1990 | Cessna 310R | Burlington, Vermont, United States | Malcolm French | Fatal | 3 |
| 30 Jan 1990 | Cessna 208B | Williston, Vermont, United States | Business Air, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Jul 1990 | Beechcraft BE-58 | St. Albans, Vermont, United States | Valley Air Service | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1991 | Cessna 152 | Rutland, Vermont, United States | Alpine Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-28-180 | West Wardsboro, Vermont, United States | Stuart P. Dauchy | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Aug 1989 | Cessna 182R | Warren, Vermont, United States | - | No injuries | - |