Piper PA-44-180 accident near Battleboro, NC
On June 8, 2003, a Piper PA-44-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Battleboro, NC. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 8, 2003
- Place
- Battleboro, NC
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.002°N, 77.684°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030616X00876
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 8, 2003, at 1340 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180, N578TP, registered to and operated by Airline Transport Professionals Corp. of USA, collided with the ground during an instructional flight near Battleboro, North Carolina. The instructional flight was operated under the provision of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The certified flight instructor, commercial rated pilot receiving instruction, and commercial rated passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Raleigh Durham, North Carolina, on June 8, 2003, at 1255. The instructional flight departed RDU on an instrument flight to Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The purpose of the instructional flight was to add-on muti-engine, instrument onto the dual students certified flight instructor rating. At 1315, the instrument flight plan was cancelled and the flight continued under visual flight rules. Examination of recovered radar data shows the airplane conducting maneuvers at altitudes between 4,200 and 4,700 feet above ground level (AGL). Shortly before the accident the airplane began a slow descent from 4,400 to 4,000 feet AGL. The last radar recording was at 3,100 feet at 1336. At approximately 1340, an eyewitness heard the airplane-flying overhead and then heard the engine sound stop. They looked up and saw the airplane spinning towards the ground. The witness did not recall hearing the engines running during the fina
Probable cause
The certified flight instructor's (CFI) failure to maintain flying speed that resulted in a stall/spin and the uncontrolled collision with the ground.
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
