Piper PA-30 N7781Y

Summary

On 11 December 2009 at about 04:21 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N7781Y, operated by Harvey W. Kiniken, Jr, was involved in an accident near Port Mansfield, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 2009 at 04:21

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Mansfield, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Port Mansfield (T05)

Coordinates

26.5578, -97.4358

Aircraft

Piper PA-30

Registration

N7781Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Harvey W. Kiniken, Jr

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Borger → Port Mansfield

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN10FA070

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance with the water while on approach (VFR) to land.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and his passenger departed on a 4-hour visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight that had them arriving at an oceanside airport at night. Since the destination airport did not have any weather reporting capability, the pilot had to rely on weather from an airport 23 miles away and further inland. The weather conditions deteriorated while en route (ceiling 1,000 to 1,200 foot overcast, visibility 9-10 miles, and a closing temperature/dewpoint spread) so the pilot filed an instrument-flight-rules flight plan with air traffic control (ATC). As he approached his destination, the pilot asked ATC if he could descend to 2,000 feet and "take a look." The controller approved the descent at the pilot's discretion. ATC later cleared the pilot for a visual approach since no instrument approach procedures were available for the airport. The pilot was instructed to descend to 1,600 feet and to report when the airport was in sight. The pilot acknowledged that he had the airport in sight and there were no further communications with him. Radar data revealed the airplane flew southeast toward the airport at an altitude of 800 feet, then flew beyond the airport before it made a left turn toward the shoreline. The last recorded altitude was 600 feet. A witness who lived near the airport heard the airplane flying low over his home and went outside, but he was unable to see the airplane due to heavy haze and reduced visibility. He said the airplane noise traveled toward the shoreline and disappeared. The airplane came to rest inverted in approximately 7-10 feet of water about 1.6 miles east of the airport. Damage to the airplane was consistent with a shallow impact angle with the water, the subsequent recovery operations, and salt water corrosion. All four blades (two on each engine) exhibited symmetrical aft bending and twisting toward low pitch (not feathered), consistent with water impact at low or moderate power. The landing gear was extended and the flaps were fully retracted. Examination of the airplane, both engines, and propellers revealed no premishap mechanical deficiencies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.