Piper PA-28-180 accident near Bruceton Mills, WV
On May 21, 2003, a Piper PA-28-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bruceton Mills, WV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 21, 2003
- Place
- Bruceton Mills, WV
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.696°N, 79.763°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030602X00752
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 21, 2003, about 1113 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N55995, was destroyed when it struck a guy wire on a communications antenna near Bruceton MiIls, West Virginia. The Canadian-certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed, but not opened for the personal flight from Harrison/Marion Regional Airport (KCKB), Clarksburg, West Virginia, to Buttonville Airport (CYKZ), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane owner was interviewed by the Safety Board Investigator-In-Charge. The owner reported that the pilot initiated the trip on May 20th, about 0830, when he departed Pompano Beach, Florida. The airplane arrived at Clarksburg later in the day and remained overnight. While at Clarksburg, it was serviced with 45.5 gallons of 100 LL aviation grade gasoline. On the morning of May 21st, the pilot made two telephone calls to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Flight Service Station (FSS), at Elkins, West Virginia. The first briefing occurred at 0917, and lasted 5 minutes. During the briefing, the pilot was advised of an AIRMET which included occasional instrument flight rules conditions, up to the Canadian border. In addition, it also included mountain obscurement in the Appalachians. The pilot was advised of ceilings of 1,300 to 1,500 feet, and a ceiling of 600 feet overcast in the Jamestown, New York area. The briefer reported that once the airplane passed Niagara Falls, Ne
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance which resulted in the airplane striking a guy wire on the communications antenna. A factor was the fog.
More accidents in WV
- Bell UH-1B, Jun 22, 2022
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- Piper PA-32-R-300, Sep 26, 1982
- Piper PA-32RT-300T, Feb 9, 1984
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.
