VFR into IMC · NTSB ERA22FA368
PIPER PA32 — Metz, WV
| Date | August 11, 2022 |
| Location | Metz, WV |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA32 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 50 |
| Pilot total time | 388 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 232 hrs |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Convective weather-Thunderstorm-Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
What happened
The non-instrument-rated pilot was in cruise flight when he advised the air traffic controller that he was looking at his cockpit weather radar display and requested a deviation between what he described as a gap between radar echoes. The airplane subsequently transitioned through echoes consistent with areas of light, moderate, heavy, and then extreme precipitation before track data depicted a steep, descending right turn that continued until contact with the airplane was lost in the vicinity of the accident site.
The damage to the airplane and the distribution of the wreckage, which was spread over a distance of 0.8 miles, were consistent with an in-flight break-up. Examination of the wreckage revealed fracture surfaces consistent with overstress failure, and no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.
The extent of the pilot’s preflight weather planning activities could not be determined, as there was no record of him obtaining weather information from an access-controlled source. Based on his communications with air traffic control, the pilot was aware of the convective activity along his route of flight and was likely using his cockpit Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) weather display for tactical weather avoidance decisions, and not accounting for the latencies inherent to the processes used to create and deliver this imagery to an inflight display.