Piper PA-28-161 N8365M

Summary

On 22 May 2001 at about 02:01 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8365M was involved in an accident near Danvers, Massachusetts, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2001 at 02:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Danvers, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Beverly Muni (BVY)

Coordinates

42.5856, -70.9244

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8365M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beverly → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC01FA128

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors in the accident were the dark night, low ceiling, reduced visibility, and the pilot's decision to attempt a visual flight rules flight in marginal weather conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers departed on a night VFR flight. Weather at the time was approximately 100 foot overcast and 2 1/2 miles in mist. When the airplane was approximately 100 feet agl, the landing light went out, and the airplane entered the overcast. The airplane came out of the overcast in about a 15-degree nose low attitude, and then climbed back into the clouds. The airplane crashed shortly afterwards and a post-crash fire erupted. The airplane impacted the ground approximately 70-degrees nose low. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures with the airplane, or any of its systems. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing on the night of the accident. The pilot had approximately 1,800 of total flight experience with approximately 13 hours being in the previous 30 days. The pilot's expired FAA medical certificate restricted him from night flight because of defective color vision. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing prior to the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.