Piper PA-32-301T accident near Bend, OR
On May 24, 1997, a Piper PA-32-301T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bend, OR. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 24, 1997
- Place
- Bend, OR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.829°N, 121.490°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08013
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 24, 1997, about 1220 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32-301T, N83211, operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, experienced an inflight break-up near Bend, Oregon. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed and both instrument rated private pilots were fatally injured. The flight had departed from Concord, California, earlier in the day and was en route to Redmond, Oregon. Witnesses on a nearby golf course reported that the airplane's engine was heard clearly but that they could not see the airplane. The witnesses reported that they were actually looking at "a pretty nasty looking cloud" at the time. The witnesses reported that thunder was heard but they did not see any lightning. Shortly after this, a sound described as a "sonic boom" but not as loud was heard. After this sound, the airplane noise was no longer heard. PERSONNEL INFORMATION At the time of the accident the pilot held a private pilot certificate for single-engine land aircraft and an instrument rating. The pilot's flight logbook and records found among personal effects at the accident site indicated that the pilot had accumulated a total flight time of approximately 660 hours in all make and model aircraft. Approximately 220 hours had been accumulated in the accident aircraft. The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate for single-engine land aircraft and an instrument rating. At the time of the accident, this pilot had accumulated a total flight time of a
Probable cause
Overload of the airframe structure. Thunderstorms and turbulence were factors.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
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- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · 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.
