Piper PA-32-300 accident near Brandywine, MD
On October 2, 1996, a Piper PA-32-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Brandywine, MD. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 2, 1996
- Place
- Brandywine, MD
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.690°N, 76.851°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06896
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 2, 1996, at about 1112 EDT, N2881W, a Piper PA-32-300, was destroyed when it impacted trees in a heavily wooded area near Brandywine, Maryland, approximately 3 miles south of the Washington Executive/Hyde airport, his intended destination in Clinton, Maryland. The pilot and two passengers received fatal injuries. The flight had originated in Somerville, New Jersey about 0900. Instrument meteorological conditions existed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot was receiving air traffic control (ATC) services from the radar controller at the Washington National terminal radar approach control (TRACON). At 0638, the pilot contacted Millville Flight Service Station (FSS) via telephone for a weather briefing and to file his flight plan. The briefer informed the pilot that IFR conditions existed for his entire route of flight and that the weather at Andrews Air Force Base was: "few clouds at two thousand feet, broken ceilings at two thousand five hundred, overcast at four thousand five hundred and visibility seven in light drizzle and their surface wind zero five zero at four." The pilot filed his flight plan using Baltimore Martin as his alternate. At the time of the accident the pilot was receiving vectors from ATC in an attempt to find Visual meteorological conditions (VFR) so the pilot could land at Hyde Airport. The last assigned altitude given to the pilot by ATC was 1600 feet, which is the minimum vectoring altitude for that area. The pilot radioed ATC
Probable cause
The pilots failure to maintain his assigned altitude in IFR conditions. A related factor was the failure of the radar controller to prevent the descent of N2881W to an altitude below the minimum vectoring altitude. Additionally, the controller's failure to issue a safety alert after the MSAW issued 4 warnings in the radar room.
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Browse: Maryland · 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.
