Piper PA-32-300 accident near Hot Springs, AR
On July 2, 2004, a Piper PA-32-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hot Springs, AR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 2, 2004
- Place
- Hot Springs, AR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.527°N, 93.025°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040712X00953
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 2, 2004, at 1043 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300 single-engine airplane, N4123R, was substantially damaged after colliding with mountainous terrain while maneuvering near Indian Mountain, Hot Springs, Arkansas. The instrument rated private pilot/owner, the sole occupant of the airplane, was fatally injured. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that originated at Lebanon-Springfield Airport (6I2), near Springfield, Kentucky, about 0700, destined for Hot Springs/Memorial Airport (HOT), near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. A witness was in her home located on Indian Mountain. She was talking on the telephone, when she heard the sound of an airplane "flying really low" near her home. The witness said the engine sounded normal and "it wasn't sputtering or anything like that...then the sound of the engine stopped very abruptly." A review of air traffic control communications revealed that the pilot received radar vectors to intercept the localizer course for the ILS RWY 5 approach. At 1007:39, the pilot contacted the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center and advised he was at an altitude of 5,000 feet mean sea level (msl). An approach controller acknowledged the transmission and instructed the pilot to fly a heading of 200 degrees. The pilot responded, "heading two zero zero." At 1017:29, the controller instructed the pilot to fly a heading of 230 degrees, and the pilot acknowledged.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to fly a stabilized, published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in a collision with mountainous terrain. Factors were the clouds and the air traffic controllers' failure to provide known information that may have assisted the pilot in determining whether to continue with the approach or take alternate action.
More accidents in AR
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Browse: Arkansas · 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.
