Piper PA-23-250 accident near Bridgeport, WV
On March 11, 1996, a Piper PA-23-250 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bridgeport, WV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 11, 1996
- Place
- Bridgeport, WV
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.289°N, 80.249°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05467
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 11, 1996, at 1329 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-23-250, N222WR, struck terrain in Bridgeport, West Virginia. The airplane, which had departed from the Benedum Airport, Clarksburg, West Virginia, and was maneuvering to return for a landing, was destroyed. The Airline Transport Pilot was fatally injured. No flight plan had been filed for the ferry flight, which was conducted in visual meteorological conditions, and under 14 CFR Part 91. Earlier in the day, with two pilots and a passenger onboard, there was an inadvertent main landing gear retraction. This event occurred while the airplane was in the runup area for runway 21, about 0948. According to the left seat pilot "...Prior to beginning taxi I attempted gear pressure check. I believe that I pushed handle down, but with ensuing events, I am not positive. I may have either moved selector to up position or, may have caught gear handle in coat sleeve and thereby raised the selector. In any event, the landing gear partially retracted with the aircraft slowly sinking in a left side lower but nearly level attitude until it dropped approximately the last 10 to 12 inches...During the retraction there was no gear warning horn nor were there any gear unsafe lights...The only visible damage was to small pieces of fiberglass from the rear of the outboard door of each of the main gears, the loran antenna located forward of the down hook [tail tie down ring] was bent and the skin around the base was slightly dented, the tail hook [tail tie down ring] was pushed upward from its normal position approximatel
Probable cause
The pilot's inablility to maintain aircraft control due to a full nose down trim condition, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain.
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Browse: West Virginia · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
