At about 18:28 eastern time, a Piper PA-28R-180 struck wires and crashed while making an ILS approach to Pitt/Greenville Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight departed Tifton, Ga., en route to Greenville, VFR and without a flight plan. The pilot requested an IFR clearance about 30 miles southwest of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and was cleared to descend from 5,500 feet to 3,000 feet. ATC observed the aircraft descend below its assigned altitude twice. The flight was cleared for the approach. The minimum descent altitude was 1,600. The airplane struck power lines about 35 feet agl (65 feet msl) about 11 miles from the airport.
Jan. 14, Greenville, N.C. / Piper Arrow
At about 18:28 eastern time, a Piper PA-28R-180 struck wires and crashed while making an ILS approach to Pitt/Greenville Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight departed Tifton, Ga., en route to Greenville, VFR and without a flight plan. The pilot requested an IFR clearance about 30 miles southwest of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and was cleared to descend from 5,500 feet to 3,000 feet. ATC observed the aircraft descend below its assigned altitude twice. The flight was cleared for the approach. The minimum descent altitude was 1,600. The airplane struck power lines about 35 feet agl (65 feet msl) about 11 miles from the airport....
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-28R-180 crashed, killing the pilot and passenger, while on an ILS approach to Pitt/Greenville Airport after striking power lines 11 miles from the airport at just 35 feet AGL, significantly below the 1,600 ft minimum descent altitude.
- The flight originated VFR without a flight plan, with the pilot requesting an IFR clearance mid-flight.
- Air Traffic Control observed the aircraft descend below its assigned altitude twice before being cleared for the approach.
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