Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Peru, WV

On October 3, 2011, a Piper PA-32R-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Peru, WV. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

October 3, 2011

Place

Peru, WV

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

38.849°N, 79.016°W

NTSB ID

20111006X03238

Official records · ERA12FA012

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control Transcipts (Partial): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Flight Watch Transcript (Partial): Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 2, 2011, about 2045 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300R, N115CL, was substantially damaged when it impacted the trees and terrain in a mountainous, wooded area near Peru, West Virginia. The airplane departed from Danville Regional Airport (DAN), Danville, Virginia, about 1930 with an intended destination of John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport (JST), Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Night, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed Grand Strand Airport (CRE), North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina about 1800 with the pilot and three passengers. After an intended intermediate stop at DAN, one passenger deplaned and the flight continued to its intended destination of JST. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and personal records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land privileges. The pilot had received his private pilot certificate on August 31, 2011 and his most recent pilot logbook entry was dated September 24, 2011. At that time, he had recorded 110.5 total hours of flight experience, including 40.4 total hours in the accident airplane make and model. He had also recorded 5.4 hours of simulated instrument experience, of which all were in a different aircraft make and model than the accident airplane. He had also recorded 7.6 total flight hours of night exper

Probable cause

The non-instrument rated pilot's improper decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.

More accidents in WV

• Bell UH-1B, Jun 22, 2022
• Piper PA-34-200T, Jan 30, 2009
• Piper PA-32R-301T, Jul 19, 2004
• Piper PA-32-R-300, Sep 26, 1982
• Piper PA-32RT-300T, Feb 9, 1984

Browse: West Virginia · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.