At about 19:50 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T struck the ground while on approach to Mercer County Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was flying the airplane from Lewisburg, where it had gotten its annual inspection. When he arrived at Bluefield, the ASOS was reporting a ceiling of 100 feet with fog. He shot the approach anyway, but missed it. He attempted a second ILS and missed that one, too. He was about to divert to another airport when an employee of the Bluefield FBO asked over the radio if he would like the approach lights turned up. He decided to try a third approach. As he was looking for the lights, he descended into trees and crashed.
Jan. 19, Bluefield, W.V. / Piper Seneca
At about 19:50 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T struck the ground while on approach to Mercer County Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was flying the airplane from Lewisburg, where it had gotten its annual inspection. When he arrived at Bluefield, the ASOS was reporting a ceiling of 100 feet with fog. He shot the approach anyway, but missed it. He attempted a second ILS and missed that one, too. He was about to divert to another airport when an employee of the Bluefield FBO asked over the radio if he would like the approach lights turned up. He decided to try a third approach. As he was looking for the lights, he descended into trees and crashed....
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot crashed a Piper PA-34-200T uninjured during a third landing attempt at Mercer County Airport amidst dense fog and a 100-foot ceiling.
- The pilot had already missed two instrument approaches due to the extremely poor visibility.
- The crash occurred when the aircraft descended into trees as the pilot searched for approach lights during the final attempt, which was prompted by an FBO employee offering to turn them up.
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