At 1054 Eastern time the airplane collided with the ground and burst into flames. Instrument conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Instrument-rated Private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The personal flight had departed the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Chamblee, Ga., nine minutes earlier. About seven miles south of PDK, the pilot reported that he was in trouble. The departure controller immediately issued the pilot radar vector information for an eastbound heading, but the pilot never responded to the radar vector information. Shortly afterward, radio and radar contact was lost. Witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site reported seeing the airplane spinning out of the clouds in a flat attitude. A review of weather data and witness reports reveal that low clouds, fog, heavy rain and thunderstorm activity were in the area at the time of the accident.
October 19, 2004, Atlanta, Ga. / Beech Baron B-55
At 1054 Eastern time the airplane collided with the ground and burst into flames. Instrument conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Instrument-rated Private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The personal flight had departed the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Chamblee, Ga., nine minutes earlier. About seven miles south of PDK, the pilot reported that he was in trouble. The departure controller immediately issued the pilot radar vector information for an eastbound heading, but the pilot never responded to the radar vector information. Shortly afterward, radio and radar contact was lost. Witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site reported seeing the airpla...
Key Takeaways:
- An instrument-rated private pilot and passenger were fatally injured when their airplane crashed and burst into flames nine minutes after departing DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
- The accident occurred under severe instrument flight conditions, including low clouds, fog, heavy rain, and thunderstorm activity.
- The pilot reported being "in trouble" but subsequently lost radio and radar contact after failing to respond to air traffic control's radar vector instructions.
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