Piper PA-28-140 N55910

Summary

On 7 October 2005 at about 18:08 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N55910 was involved in an accident near Truth or Conseq, New Mexico, 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

7 October 2005 at 18:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Truth or Conseq, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

33.1008, -107.8047

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N55910

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albuquerque → Benson

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN06LA004

1 person died.

the pilot's attempt to fly VFR into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were the reported low ceiling and mountain obscuration, resulting in the pilot being unable to maintain a visual lookout.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot obtained a weather briefing, filed a VFR flight plan, and took off at 1108. When he failed to close his flight plan, an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. Recorded radar data captured a VFR target proceeding south from the airport until it turned to a southwest heading and initiated a climb to 7,500 feet. Radar contact was lost at 1208. The nearest weather reporting station, located 34 n.m. east-northeast of the accident site and at an elevation of 4,853 feet msl, reported a ceiling of 2,500 feet agl (above ground level), or 7,353 msl. A military helicopter crew also filed a pilot report (PIREP), reporting mountain top obscuration in the area. The wreckage was found 2 days later at an elevation of 8,100 feet msl near the point where radar contact was lost.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.