Piper PA20 accident near Luray, VA

On August 31, 2020, a Piper PA20 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Luray, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

August 31, 2020

Place

Luray, VA

Aircraft

Piper PA20 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

38.640°N, 78.307°W

NTSB ID

20200902X44047

Official records · ERA20LA305

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

Air traffic control records

• ATC Audio File 1: Audio recording (MP3), on ntsb.gov
• ATC Audio File 2: Audio recording (MP3), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 31, 2020, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-20-135 airplane, N7323K, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near Luray, Virginia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a fixed-base operator (FBO) employee at Maryland Airport (2W5), Indian Head, Maryland, the pilot arrived a day or two before the accident and stayed in the local area. The pilot was reportedly on a “tour of the 48” lower United States and had originally departed from California for the cross-country trip. On the afternoon of the accident, the pilot discussed with the FBO employee and other pilots at the airport, that he planned to depart for Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepherd Field (MRB), Martinsburg, West Virginia, as West Virginia was the next state in which he needed to complete a landing. The FBO employee reported that, throughout the afternoon, the pilot had been “waiting for the weather to clear” and he was looking at “storms” on his iPad. The pilot was also reportedly concerned with the terrain and cloud ceilings along the route; his “biggest concern were [cloud] ceilings.” The FBO employee reported that the other pilots at the airport told the accident pilot that he should not depart along the route, and when the FBO employee closed the FBO office and left the airport at 1800, the pilot had not departed. Review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) track data and air traffic control audio com

Probable cause

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation, a loss of control, and collision with terrain.

More accidents in VA

• Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
• Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
• Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
• Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
• Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982

Browse: Virginia · Piper aircraft

See it on the map

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