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 Piper PA-24-250 crashed in IMC conditions, killing the pilot who was illegally repositioning the unairworthy aircraft without a flight plan or ferry permit.
- The aircraft was found operating on a mixture of auto gas and avgas, and the pilot's seatbelts were unbuckled at the crash site.
- Despite reporting over 2,000 total flight hours, the pilot had very limited recent flight experience, having flown less than 3.5 hours in the past year.
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