Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Fort Worth, TX
On November 20, 1996, a Piper PA-28R-200 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 20, 1996
- Place
- Fort Worth, TX
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.820°N, 97.361°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X07022
Official records · FTW97FA044
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Communication Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 20, 1996, at 0531 central standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200 single engine airplane, N1394T, registered to a private individual, and operated by Delta Aeronautics of Fort Worth, Texas, was destroyed following impact with power lines and the ground during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 16L at the Meacham Field Airport (FTW), near Fort Worth, Texas. The instrument rated commercial pilot, who also was a certified flight instructor (CFI), and the instrument rated private pilot were both fatally injured. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, for which an instrument flight plan was filed. The cross-country flight originated from Abilene, Texas, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes before the accident. According to several friends of the pilots, who were interviewed after the accident, the general intent of the flight was for the pilots to "take advantage" of the prevailing low ceilings in the area to log some "actual" instrument flight time. The flight was not "instructional." The private pilot had rented the airplane to accumulate actual instrument flight time. According to Air Traffic Control (ATC) records, the airplane departed Meacham Field about 0200, and had an uneventful flight to Abilene, Texas, where it made several practice approaches and a full stop landing. Subsequently, the pilots planned the return flight to Meacham and departed Abilene about 0345. At 0511, one of the pilots on board N1394T called a missed approach to Meacham Airport
Probable cause
the pilots' continued descent of the aircraft below decision height. Factors contributing to the accident were the fog, the dark night illumination, one of the pilot's impairment due to use of marihuana, and both pilots' fatigue.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
