At about 1113 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-180 struck a guy wire on a communications antenna near Bruceton Mills. The Canadian pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the site but the pilot was not instrument rated. A VFR flight plan had been filed from Clarksburg, W.Va., to Ontario, Canada, but had not been opened. The owner of the airplane said the pilot departed Pompano Beach, Fla., May 20, arriving in Clarksburg later in the day. He departed the next day at 1044 but did not contact Flight Service to open the flight plan, nor did he ask the Clarksburg Tower to open the flight plan. In addition, the transponder apparently was not turned on. The airplane struck a guy wire to a 518-foot tower located on a mountain peak 32 nm from the departure airport. A power outage was recorded at 1113 when the airplane apparently fell onto a 12,000-volt power line that ran nearby. The tower was located directly between Clarksburg and the first waypoint listed on the pilots unopened flight plan.
May 21, Bruceton Mills, W.Va. / Piper Cherokee 180
At about 1113 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-180 struck a guy wire on a communications antenna near Bruceton Mills. The Canadian pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the site but the pilot was not instrument rated. A VFR flight plan had been filed from Clarksburg, W.Va., to Ontario, Canada, but had not been opened. The owner of the airplane said the pilot departed Pompano Beach, Fla., May 20, arriving in Clarksburg later in the day. He departed the next day at 1044 but did not contact Flight Service to open the flight plan, nor did he ask the Clarksburg Tower to open the flight plan. In addition, the transponder apparently was not turned on. The airplane struck a...
Key Takeaways:
- A non-instrument rated pilot crashed fatally in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) after his Piper PA-28-180 struck a communications antenna's guy wire.
- The VFR flight plan filed for the flight was never opened, and the aircraft's transponder was apparently not turned on, indicating a lack of official flight tracking.
- The accident occurred when the aircraft struck a tower located directly between the departure airport and the first waypoint of the pilot's unopened flight plan, causing a power outage.
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