BUTTONWILLOW, CA, USA
N5431P
PIPER PA-24-250
A PIPER PA-24-250 COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE ON AN IFR FLIGHT. THE PILOT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FROM FSS. WHILE EN ROUTE, RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST, THEN REGAINED. THE PILOT STATED TO ATC THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE HIS FLT TO HIS DEST. THE ACFT AGAIN WAS LOST FROM RADAR WHILE PLT WAS EXECUTING FREQUENCY CHANGE. WITNESSES REPORTED ACFT DESCENDING IN VERTICAL SPIRAL AND THEN IMPACTING GND VERTICALLY. WX RPRTS AND FORECASTS INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS, TURBULENCE, AND LIGHTNING WERE PRESENT ALONG FLIGHT. TWO PLT RPRTS INDICATED PRESENCE OF MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULANCE IN VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, WITHIN 1,000 FT OF ACFT CRUISE ALT. REVIEW OF PILOT'S LOGBOOK INDICATED HE WAS NOT IFR-CURRENT. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT DISCLOSE THE DAMAGE BY THE LIGHTNING STRIKE.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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