Date & Time:
Dec 10, 1994 at 0223 LT
Type of aircraft:
Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600)
Operator:
New Creations
Registration:
N6069T
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Boston - Buffalo
MSN:
60-0674-7961212
YOM:
1979
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total hours on type:
335
Aircraft flight hours:
10873
Circumstances:
The airplane was on a positioning flight at night, cruising at 6,000 feet. Also, the pilot was operating on an IFR flight plan and was on his 6th flight after reporting for duty at 1530 est. During a frequency change and radio check at 0207 est, the pilot's response was normal. Radar data revealed that about 16 minutes later, the airplane entered a right turn, then disappeared from radar at about 0222 est after about 255° of turn. It impacted the ground in a steep nose down descent; debris from the airplane was found down to 6 feet below the surface. During the final 15 minutes of flight, there were no radio transmissions on the assigned frequency. No preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The propeller blades had s-curves or were bent forward; they also had leading edge impact damage and Rotational scoring. The pilot had flown in excess of 120 hours (110 hrs at night) in the preceding 30 days. There was evidence that he may have lacked crew rest during the day(s) before the accident.
Probable cause:
Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft, possibly from falling asleep.
Final Report:
N6069T.pdf102.24 KB
