Piper PA-24-250 accident near Black Canyon City, AZ
On October 4, 2009, a Piper PA-24-250 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Black Canyon City, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 4, 2009
- Place
- Black Canyon City, AZ
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.123°N, 112.238°W
- NTSB ID
- 20091005X83514
Official records · WPR10FA005
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Record of Conversation(s) - FAA Air Traffic Controllers: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 4, 2009, about 0725 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N7471P, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain near Black Canyon City, Arizona. The airplane was registered to Chief LLC of Aguila, Arizona, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airline transport pilot and his sole passenger were killed. General visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the St. John's Industrial Airport, St. Johns, Arizona, at 0600, with an intended destination of Aguila, Arizona. A family member of the pilot reported the airplane overdue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the morning of October 5, 2009, after becoming concerned when the airplane and pilot had not arrived at their intended destination. The FAA subsequently issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT). On the afternoon of October 5, United States Forest Service (USFS) firefighters reported locating the wreckage of a downed airplane while fighting a wildfire around the 5,499 foot level of the Bradshaw Mountain Range near the accident site. USFS personnel reported that the fire in the area was initially reported about 1600 on October 4, 2009. Review of radar data supplied by the FAA revealed that about 50 miles east of the accident site, the flight was at a pressure altitude of 8,500 feet mean sea level (msl), with a flight path predominately on west-southwest heading. The radar data depicted a descen
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight into instrument meteorological weather conditions which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident were low ceilings, reduced visibility, and mountainous terrain.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · 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.
