Piper PA 32 accident near Morrison, TN
On November 8, 2017, a Piper PA 32 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Morrison, TN. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 8, 2017
- Place
- Morrison, TN
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 32 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.653°N, 85.916°W
- NTSB ID
- 20171107X13608
Official records · ERA18FA016
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Data Figure: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Radar Data with ATC Transmissions Overlay: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 7, 2017, about 1845 central standard time, a Piper PA-32-300, N47831, was destroyed after it impacted terrain near Morrison, Tennessee. The flight instructor and private pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Monroe County Aeroplex Airport (MVC), Monroeville, Alabama, about 1625, and was destined for Warren County Memorial Airport (RNC), McMinnville, Tennessee. According to a friend of the private pilot, who was also a pilot, he and the private pilot were fishing in Florida the day before the accident. The flight instructor flew to Destin Executive Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida, the day of the accident to pick up the pilot. The friend stated that he tried to convince the private pilot to drive back from Florida with him instead of flying since the weather "was so bad." A fuel receipt from a fixed based operator at DTS indicated that the airplane was fueled with 27 gallons of fuel before it departed for MVC, an intermediate stop on the way to RNC. According to air traffic control data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the controller cleared the airplane for the RNAV Runway 23 approach to RNC and issued the airplane a frequency change to the RNC common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). The pilots conducted a missed approach and subsequently requested a clearance to
Probable cause
The pilots' loss of control during a missed approach in night instrument meteorological conditions as a result of spatial disorientation.
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Browse: Tennessee · 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.