Piper PA32R accident near Lincolnton, NC
On July 24, 2018, a Piper PA32R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lincolnton, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 24, 2018
- Place
- Lincolnton, NC
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.485°N, 81.166°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180724X80900
Official records · ERA18FA197
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 24, 2018, about 0521 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N38523, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Lincolnton-Lincoln County Regional Airport (IPJ), Lincolnton, North Carolina. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was destined for Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (SMB), Sheboygan, Wisconsin. According to a family member, the pilot stated that he was going to attend an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and had planned to leave early in the morning for "a window of good weather." Data from the onboard Appareo Stratus 2S unit indicated that the airplane departed runway 05 about 0520; about 0520:25, the pilot initiated a left turn as it climbed from the runway. The airplane continued the climbing left turn to about 1,100 ft GPS altitude and a groundspeed about 95 knots, then descended to about 950 ft GPS altitude and accelerated to a groundspeed about 121 knots on an approximate left downwind leg for runway 05. About 0521:10, the airplane was about 1,480 ft GPS altitude and a groundspeed about 56 knots. The airplane subsequently entered a descending left turn; the final recorded data point captured a GPS altitude of 1,050 ft and a rate of descent greater than 4,000 ft per minute. (see Figure 1.) A witness near the accident site re
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot's intentional visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to complete the flight as planned.
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
