History of Flight
On March 17, 2022, about 1638 central daylight time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, registration N8357Y, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pond Creek, Oklahoma. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The airplane departed Mineral Wells Regional Airport (MWL), Mineral Wells, Texas, with a destination of Fairmont, Nebraska. Radar and ADS-B data indicated that the airplane first appeared at 1509 about 1.5 nautical miles west of MWL. The airplane tracked north and climbed initially to a cruise altitude of 8,500 ft and then later climbed to 16,500 ft. The airplane began a descent after it passed over Vance Air Force Base (END), Enid, Oklahoma, and turned momentarily to the east. The airplane then turned west and back to the north while it descended. The ground speed decreased from over 200 kts to under 100 kts. About 1631, and 5 miles southwest of Pond Creek, Mode C position reporting data was lost followed by the loss of all track data.
The airplane was not in contact, nor was it required to be in contact, with air traffic control.
Witness Observations
A witness in the area reported he heard what sounded like a motocross bike engine revving to full throttle. He then looked up and saw what he initially thought was a weather balloon coming straight down. He realized it was an airplane and videoed the airplane in its descent. The airplane was in a right-hand nose-down spin. The video showed the airplane descend until, moments before impacting terrain, it became obscured by tall grass. In the video, the airplane’s aft fuselage and empennage were separated and neither the propellers nor the outboard wings and fuel tip tanks were seen.
Meteorological Information
Doppler radar imagery from 13 miles northwest of the accident location revealed light values of reflectivity along the final portion of the accident airplane’s flight path and in the immediate vicinity of the accident location. A High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) Model showed the potential for clouds above 9,000 ft. The freezing level was noted at about 8,800 ft. The potential for significant turbulence was between about 15,400 and 17,400 ft, and for light rime icing between about 15,400 ft and 19,400 ft.
Visible and infrared data satellite imagery from a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-16 was obtained. Visual imagery from 1636 showed cloudy conditions across the accident region. Infrared imagery depicted minimum brightness temperatures of -25°C over the accident location, which when considering the HRRR sounding corresponded to cloud top heights near 21,000 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was located across several fields about 6 miles southwest of Pond Creek. The main wreckage was located on the west side of a creek bed in a field. The elevation of the accident site was about 1,100 ft and the terrain was predominately flat and consisted of tall grass. The main wreckage consisted of the forward fuselage, cabin, and baggage compartment, left and right inboard wings, left and right engines and nacelles, and came to rest inverted. The wreckage was crushed aft, fragmented, and showed evidence of a near-vertical impact. The airplane’s oxygen bottle was located on the east side of the creek bed 14 ft south of the main wreckage. The oxygen ports in the cabin did not show that oxygen masks or cannulas had been connected and no oxygen masks or cannulas were found in the wreckage.
The aft fuselage and empennage consisted of the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The inboard sections of the horizontal stabilators were broken and held to the main wreckage by the flight control and trim cables. Both wings were broken about 5 ft outboard of the nacelles. The broken sections showed upward bending, aft twisting, and fractures consistent with overload failures. Several impact marks and paint transfers were found along the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer indicative of a component striking it before ground impact.
Outboard sections of the left and right wings and outboard tip tanks were located about 600 ft south-southeast of the main wreckage. Also located in this area were the left and right propellers. An outboard section of the left wing was in a field about 1,146 ft west-northwest of the main wreckage. Pieces of wing skin, cowlings, plexiglass, and the outboard sections of the left and right horizontal stabilators were found in adjacent fields west and northwest of the main wreckage.
The left propeller hub was broken open and one propeller blade was broken out. The blade showed no damage. The blade that remained with the hub showed S-bending, chordwise scratches, and trailing edge gouges. Two inches of the blade’s tip was missing. The hub was attached to the flange and 3 inches of the left engine crankshaft. The right propeller was also attached to the flange and about 3 inches of the right engine crankshaft. Both blades were bent slightly forward and showed chordwise scratches and trailing edge gouges.
A postaccident examination of the airplane, engines, vacuum system, and flight and navigation instruments revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Additional Information
The pilot’s flight instructor, who was also the Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic who maintained the airplane, reported that he instructed the pilot through his multiengine land rating. The flight instructor stated he tried to get the pilot to get his instrument rating, but the pilot was too busy. The A&P mechanic reported the airplane had an oxygen system and it had been serviced. He reported that if the airplane had oxygen masks or cannulas, they were not on the airplane, and that he could recall only one time where he observed the pilot use supplemental oxygen on a cross-country flight.