Piper PA-34-220T N8371X

Summary

On 25 June 2006 at about 16:50 local time, a Piper PA-34-220T registered N8371X, operated by Walter M. Daggett, was involved in an accident near Tafton, Pennsylvania, 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

25 June 2006 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Tafton, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

41.4158, -75.1933

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-220T

Registration

N8371X

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Walter M. Daggett

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greensboro → Sanford

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06FA155

3 people died.

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a thunderstorm, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control, and a subsequent in-flight breakup.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About an hour before takeoff, the pilot obtained an updated weather briefing, which included a discussion about thunderstorm activity along the route of the flight. About 2 hours 30 minutes after takeoff, the pilot was deviating around thunderstorm activity when the airplane disappeared from radar. A witness near the accident heard the engine "revving up and down," a "muffled pop," and then silence, before seeing debris falling from the sky, well above the tree line. Examination of the airplane revealed that it experienced an in-flight breakup; however, no evidence of a mechanical malfunction was identified. Weather radar images indicated the airplane entered a developing area of moderate to heavy intensity echoes consistent with a convective cell or thunderstorm. The pilot advised air traffic control he was receiving weather information through a portable GPS receiver, with a weather subscription service. There were no published Convective SIGMETs (significant meteorological information), SIGMETs, or Center Weather Advisories for thunderstorms, current at the time of the accident for the area encompassing the accident site. The pilot received his airplane multiengine rating, on May 13, 2006, as of as of June 18, 2006, the pilot had accumulated about 1,720 hours of total flight experience, which included 32.6 hours in multiengine airplanes; of which 26.8 hours were accumulated in the accident airplane. In addition, the pilot had logged about 140 and 68 hours of actual and simulated instrument flight experience; respectively. Except for 0.4 hours of simulated instrument flight experience logged during his multiengine rating check ride; the pilot had not logged any additional instrument flight experience in multiengine airplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.