Piper PA 28-140 accident near Mt Tom, OR
On April 22, 2015, a Piper PA 28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mt Tom, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 22, 2015
- Place
- Mt Tom, OR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.217°N, 122.979°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150424X81527
Official records · WPR15FA152
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Recorded Air Traffic Control Radar Data (Plot)1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 21, 2015, about 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1729J, collided with terrain near the peak of Mt Tom, Oregon. The unlicensed pilot sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to Sover Lince Society of Organic Agriculture and operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91 flight. Instrumentmeteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Hobby Field Airport, Creswell, Oregon, at 1649, and was destined for Pearson Field, Vancouver, Washington. A concerned family member reported the pilot was overdue the evening of April 21. The wreckage was located the afternoon of April 24 near the peak of Mt Tom (3,143 ft), at an elevation of 3,100 feet, by a National Guard helicopter. Radar first identified the airplane at 1649 north of Cresswell on a northerly heading, however, the airplane was not reporting altitude information (transponder Mode C). About 1700:17 the radar track made an abrupt left turn to a southwest direction followed by a loss of radar contact at 1700:36. A careful study of the radar data revealed that the lowest altitude the radar could receive a primary return signal was 5,250 feet mean sea level (msl) along the airplane's flight path. In the vicinity of the accident the lowest altitude the radar received a primary return signal was 6,300 feet msl. The location of the final radar return measured horizontally along the ground was about a half mile from the location where the airplane impacted terrain. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pil
Probable cause
The noncertificated pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation leading to the pilot's loss of control of the airplane and subsequent collision with mountainous terrain.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
- Piper PA-28-180, Sep 1, 1984
- Piper PA-28RT-201, Mar 12, 1984
- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · 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.
