Piper PA32RT accident near Nashville, TN

On March 5, 2024, a Piper PA32RT (airplane) was involved in an accident near Nashville, TN. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

March 5, 2024

Place

Nashville, TN

Aircraft

Piper PA32RT · Airplane

Injuries

5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

36.140°N, 86.887°W

NTSB ID

20240305193880

Official records · ERA24FA127

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

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control_communications Bna Departure Control (Audio, Wav Format): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control_jwn Tower (Audio, Wav Format): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 4, 2024, at 1943 central standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, C-FBWH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee. The private pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed under visual flight rules (VFR) from Brampton-Caledon Airport (CNC3), Brampton, Ontario, Canada, about 1222 and arrived at Erie International Airport/Tom Ridge Field (ERI) Erie, Pennsylvania, about 1 hour later. At ERI, the pilot added 11 gallons of fuel to each wing fuel tank. The pilot departed about 90 minutes later and flew to Mount Sterling/Montgomery County Airport (IOB), Mount Sterling, Kentucky, where he added a total of 52.1 gallons of fuel. The third flight leg was from IOB to John C Tune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee, about 180 miles away. ADS-B and communications data provided by the FAA indicated that the airplane departed about 1915 during dusk, proceeded on a track of about 230°, and climbed to an enroute altitude of 10,500 ft above mean sea level (msl). As the airplane transitioned into the airspace surrounding Nashville International Airport (BNA) on the way to JWN, the pilot was in communication with the Nashville Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). The approach controller issued the altimeter setting and runway in use before terminating radar services and issuing a frequency change. The pilot contacted the tower controller and stated that he was about 8 miles north of the airport. The c

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to ensure the proper placement of the fuel selector during the approach and landing, which resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

More accidents in TN

• Cessna 501, May 29, 2021
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Browse: Tennessee · 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.