Piper PA-31T1 accident near Ely, NV
On December 15, 2012, a Piper PA-31T1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ely, NV. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 15, 2012
- Place
- Ely, NV
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T1 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.087°N, 114.584°W
- NTSB ID
- 20121216X01302
Official records · WPR13FA070
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Audio Transcript Excerpts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 15, 2012, about 1000 Pacific standard time (PST), a Piper PA31T1 Cheyenne, N93CN, was destroyed during an in-flight breakup near Ely, Nevada. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The cross-country personal flight departed from Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, Arizona, at 0818, with a planned destination of the Portland-Troutdale Airport, Portland, Oregon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area surrounding the accident site and the flight was operating on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. Radar data gathered from both the Cedar City, Utah (CDC) and Battle Mountain, Nevada (BAM) radar sites revealed the airplane departed Mesa and continued on a northerly track for about 30 minutes. The airplane then turned to a northwesterly direction (around a bearing of 335-degrees magnetic) and remained at the cruise altitude of 24,000 feet mean sea level (msl), at about 230 knots ground speed. At 0937 the airplane's heading turned to about 320-degrees and continued on that bearing until the last several radar returns. Those last recorded targets showed the airplane during the last approximate 30 seconds, where it began a steep right spiral, descending from cruise altitude to 14,500 feet msl, which was the last recorded altitude. The final radar target was recorded at 1000 and was located 0.35 nautical miles northeast of the accident site. The audio transcripts of the pi
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to regain airplane control following a sudden rapid descent during cruise flight, which resulted in an exceedance of the design stress limits of the aircraft and led to an in-flight structural failure.
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Browse: Nevada · 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.
