History of Flight
On July 29, 2008, at 1453 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, registration N1180P, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Highlands, North Carolina. The certificated airline transport pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the personal flight from Bowman Field Airport (LOU), Louisville, Kentucky, to Hazlehurst Airport (AZE), Hazlehurst, Georgia. The flight departed at 1255.
According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was en route to his home in Florida with his son.
Air traffic control (ATC) communications revealed that the pilot contacted Atlanta Center at 1823:08, reporting level at 9,000 feet and deviating right of course for weather. The controller provided weather advisories, and the pilot requested deviations. Over the next 30 minutes, the pilot executed multiple turns to avoid precipitation, including a 270-degree left turn. The last radar target was at 1853:56 at 9,800 feet. At 1855:24, the controller asked if the pilot was clear of turbulence, but no further transmissions were received.
A witness working near the impact site heard a sound like a helicopter start-up and saw an engine depart the airplane. Another witness saw the airplane fly into dark clouds, heard popping noises, and then observed the airplane spiral down with parts breaking off before impacting the ground.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land and flight instructor ratings. He reported 11,920 total flight hours and was employed as a captain flying Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft. The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land rating and reported 255 total hours.
The airplane, manufactured in 1955, was equipped with two Lycoming O-320 engines. It was purchased by the pilot on July 15, 2008. The most recent annual inspection was on September 7, 2007, and a 100-hour inspection on March 8, 2008, both with no anomalies. The airplane was equipped with a BF Goodrich Stormscope. It was refueled with 10 gallons on the day of the accident, topping the tanks.
Meteorological Conditions
The pilot received a weather briefing from Nashville AFSS at 1000, aware of AIRMET for IFR conditions and a Convective SIGMET over Florida. He called again at 1141 to update departure time but did not request further weather updates. Convective SIGMETs 42E and 47E were current, warning of severe thunderstorms with tops above 45,000 feet. The flight path was north of an area of heavy to extreme precipitation consistent with a multicellular thunderstorm. Cloud-to-ground lightning was observed near the accident site.
Weather reports from nearby stations: Macon County Airport (15 miles northwest) reported light rain with 10 miles visibility at 1441; Oconee County Regional Airport (28 miles southeast) reported VFR with thunderstorms; Asheville Regional Airport (43 miles northeast) reported rain showers with MVFR to IFR conditions.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted rising terrain at 2,614 feet elevation, coming to rest inverted on a heading of 225 degrees magnetic. Trees were undisturbed with no forward wreckage path. The tail section, outboard left wing, left aileron, and other debris were found within a 1/4-mile radius. The left engine was located 1/2 mile away. Fracture surfaces on the left wing and tail showed overstress signatures with no fatigue. The cockpit instruments showed an airspeed of 0 knots, attitude indicator at 40 degrees nose-down, and altimeter at 100 feet.