At about 13:20 eastern time, a Piper PA-24-250 struck mountains near Paris, killing the pilot. IMC prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilots son said the airplane was being repositioned for an annual inspection. Examination of the wreckage found it was being operated on a mixture of auto gas and avgas. The seat belts were found unbuckled. An annual inspection had been performed at the departure airport, but the pilot was reportedly upset by the discrepancies noted. The mechanic noted in the logbooks that the airplane was unairworthy. The pilot did not obtain a ferry permit to reposition the airplane. The pilot reported more than 2,000 flight hours on his last medical application, but he had flown less than 3.5 hours in the last year.
March 31, Paris, Va. / Piper Comanche
At about 13:20 eastern time, a Piper PA-24-250 struck mountains near Paris, killing the pilot. IMC prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilots son said the airplane was being repositioned for an annual inspection. Examination of the wreckage found it was being operated on a mixture of auto gas and avgas. The seat belts were found unbuckled. An annual inspection had been performed at the departure airport, but the pilot was reportedly upset by the discrepancies noted. The mechanic noted in the logbooks that the airplane was unairworthy. The pilot did not obtain a ferry permit to reposition the airplane. The pilot reported more than 2,000 flight hours on his last medical application, b...
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot was killed when his unairworthy Piper PA-24-250, flying without a flight plan or ferry permit in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), struck mountains.
- The aircraft, which had just been deemed unairworthy after an annual inspection where the pilot was reportedly upset by discrepancies, was found operating on a mixture of auto gas and avgas.
- The pilot, who reported over 2,000 flight hours but had flown less than 3.5 hours in the last year, was found with unbuckled seatbelts at the crash site.
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