Cessna 320D N4137T

Summary

On 16 March 2003 at about 03:26 local time, a Cessna 320D registered N4137T was involved in an accident near Perry, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 March 2003 at 03:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Perry, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Perry -Houston County (PXE)

Coordinates

32.5106, -83.7672

Aircraft

Cessna 320D

Registration

N4137T

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pulaski → Perry

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL03FA062

1 person died.

The pilot continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain altitude/terrain clearance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon approaching the destination airport, the pilot established radio contact with Approach Control, and reported a cruise altitude of 7,500 feet. and a 138- degree heading. The pilot was issued the current altimeter setting and he requested current weather for Perry, Georgia. The nearest weather reporting facility reported 600-foot ceiling and 7 miles visibility. Later into the radio conversation, the pilot was asked if he was instrument qualified and the pilot stated he was instrument qualified. When the controller asked the pilot for his current flight conditions, the pilot reported that he was at 1300 feet and requested a direct heading to Perry. The controller told the pilot that the airport was 10 miles off his two o'clock position. At 2226:04, radio and radar contact was lost with the airplane. Witnesses near the accident site observed a fireball followed by a crashing sound. Within minutes, the airplane wreckage was located, and the passenger was rescued. Examination of the accident site disclosed that wreckage debris was scattered over an area 850 feet long and 75 feet wide. The examination of the wreckage path also revealed several fresh gouges in the dirt, and there were paint chips and other debris from the airframe embedded in the ground. There were also several fire-damaged pieces of airframe material scattered throughout the wreckage path. The fire-damaged rudder assembly was lodged in a tree about 400 feet south of the main wreckage. The main wreckage, which consisted of the airframe center section cockpit and empennage, was wrapped around the base of a pecan tree 725 feet north of the first freshly damaged pecan tree along the wreckage path. The left engine assembly was 75 feet northwest of the main airframe. Examination of the wreckage debris failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.