Piper PA-28-151 accident near Rienzi, MS
On August 19, 2001, a Piper PA-28-151 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rienzi, MS. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 19, 2001
- Place
- Rienzi, MS
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.762°N, 88.634°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010830X01820
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 19, 2001, at 0343 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-151, N57297, registered to Muscle Shoals Aviation, Inc., and operated by the private pilot, collided with trees and the terrain during a night flight near Rienzi, Mississippi. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Weather conditions at the accident site were not determined, however, weather conditions at the nearest weather facility reported a low cloud condition. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot and two passengers received fatal injuries. The flight departed the Tunica Municipal Airport in Tunica, Mississippi, at 0249. According to the fixed base operator at Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the recently certificated private pilot and two passengers departed the airport on the afternoon of August 18, 2001, with a planned destination of Tunica. The airplane departed with 36 gallons of fuel. The pilot and passengers reportedly spent several hours in Tunica. A limo driver from a local hotel stated that he drove the pilot and two passengers back to Tunica Municipal Airport for their return flight to Muscle Shoals at about 0235 on August 19, 2001. About the time of the accident, a witness reported hearing an airplane flying in the vicinity of the accident site. On August 19, 2001, a search for the missing airplane was launched. On August 22, 2001, after an extensive air and ground search by local officials, the airplane wreckage was located in a wooded area adjacent to a cornfield in Ri
Probable cause
The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in an in-flight loss of control and subsequent collision with trees and terrain. A factor was the dark night condition.
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Browse: Mississippi · 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.
