HOLLEY, FL, USA
N5572W
PIPER PA-28-160
DRG A NGT X-COUNTRY FLT, THE PLT WAS RCVG VFR FLT FLWG FM EGLIN AFB APCH CTL. WHILE CRUISING AT 4500 FT, HE OBTAINED WX FOR THE AREA. HE WAS ADZD THAT ACCORDING TO 1 HR OLD OBSNS, WX AT EGLIN WAS 1700' SCT, & AT CRESTVIEW, THERE WAS A 3000'BKN CEILING. THE PLT ELECTED TO DSCND THRU 'THIS THIN LAYER' TO 1500' & WAS ADZD TO REMAIN VFR. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE RPRTD AT 1500', THEN WAS ADZD TO CTC PENSACOLA APCH CTL, SINCE HE WAS LEAVING EGLIN'S AIRSPACE. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CTC WITH THE ACFT. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED & THE ACFT WAS FND 5 DAYS LTR WHERE IT HAD CRASHED IN A REMOTE/UNLIGHTED AREA ON A BOMBING RANGE. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED IT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP, NOSE DOWN, RGT WING LOW ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PRBLM OF THE ACFT WAS FND, BUT IT WAS BADLY DMGD BY IMPACT & FIRE. ABT 22 MI WEST AT PENSACOLA, THE WX WAS 800' BKN, 1700' BKN, VIS 7 MI; ABT 17 MI EAST AT EGLIN, THE WX WAS PTLY OBSCD, 400' THIN SCT, 1500' THIN SCT, VIS 3 MI WITH FOG. NO RECORD WAS FND OF A PREFLT WX BRIEFING FOR THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT.
CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PLT INTO ADVERSE WX, FOLLOWED BY SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. LACK OF A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND LACK OF VISUAL CUES AT NIGHT WERE CONSIDERED CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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