Piper PA-30 N8220Y

Summary

On 28 December 1996 at about 15:27 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N8220Y was involved in an accident near Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 December 1996 at 15:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.3692, -77.9707

Aircraft

Piper PA-30

Registration

N8220Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baltimore → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97FA049

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to follow instrument approach procedures during numerous instrument approaches and missed approaches which resuled in a total loss of engine power on both engines due to fuel exhaustion. Factors contributing to the accident were: the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing prior to his departure and his lack of recent instrument flight experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Review of transcripts revealed the pilot departed Baltimore, Maryland VFR at about 0746 to obtain fuel locally for a cross country flight to Florida. No flight plan or weather briefing had been filed or obtained prior to departure. The pilot was unable to land, encountered IFR flight conditions and filed an IFR flight plan to Florida. En route, the pilot diverted to another airport for fuel. He was cleared for an ILS approach and informed prior to beginning the approach that the weather was below minimums. The pilot made a missed approach, and informed the controller a short time later that he had lost one engine. The controller coordinated with the U.S. Air Force to allow the pilot to conduct a PAR approach, and declared the airplane an emergency. The pilot was cleared for a PAR approach. The approach was terminated by the controller, the changed to a surveillance approach which resulted in a missed approach. The pilot was vectored for another PAR approach, and it was subsequently changed to a no gyro approach. The controller informed the pilot he was too far left for a safe approach, and to climb to 1800 and fly a heading of 260 degrees. Radar contact was lost 1 mile southwest of the airport. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel tanks were not ruptured and that no fuel was present. Also, a review of the pilots logbook revealed he did not meet FAA instrument recurrency requirements.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.