NACOGDOCHES, TX, USA
N23NS
PIPER 601P
AT ABT 1744 CST, BFR REACHING HIS DESTN, THE PLT RPRTD THAT DURING THE FLT, HE HAD ENCTRD HEAD WINDS & HAD ONLY 50 MIN OF FUEL REMAINING. HE WAS PROVIDED PREFERENTIAL HNDLG, BUT ANOTHER FLT WAS ALSO LOW ON FUEL. THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN NDBRWY 15 APCH. AT 1756:49, HE ACKNOWLEDGED CLNC FOR THE APCH. AT APRX 1800, UNICOM ADZD THE CURRENT WX WAS: 700' BKN, SKY OBSCD WITH HVY RAIN, WND VARIABLE FM 090 TO 240 DEG AT 24 GSTG 29 KTS. THE PLT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE WX, EXCEPT TO SAYIN A CALM VOICE, 'I HOPE YOU HAVE YOUR LGTS ON.' THE FBO HEARD SVRL CLICKS ON THE UNICOM (AS IF TO ACTVT THE RWY LGTS),THEN THERE WAS NO FURTHER RDO CTC WITH THE ACFT. THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED ABT 6 MI WNW OF THE ARPT. WITNESSES RPRTD IT WAS AT LOW ALT & HAD REVERSED COURSE BFR CRASHING ON A SOUTHERLY HDG. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST ABT 380' FM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT WITH TREES. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. ABT 42 MI SSE AT LUFKIN, THE 1751 CST WXWAS IN PART: 200' OVC, VIS 3/4 MI WITH TSTMS, HVY RW & FOG, WND FM 020 DEG AT 12 KTS. APCH MINS: 600' CIG & 1 MI VIS.
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES AND MAINTAIN THE PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, DARK NIGHT, LOW FUEL STATE OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND TREES AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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