Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II Crash at Kesselberg

Accident Overview and Flight Details On May 3, 2002, a single-engine Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II with a Dutch registration crashed into the Kesselberg mountain in Germany. The aircraft was destroyed, and all three occupants, who were Dutch nationals, were killed. The flight originated in Maastricht, Netherlands, and proceeded via Nuertrang, Luxembourg, to Saarbrücken, where it landed at 12:19 local time. The crew then departed Saarbrücken at 13:27 local time for Speyer under visual flight rules (VFR). The flight was intended to help the pilot-in-command, a student pilot, extend his national Dutch recreational pilot license. No flight plan was filed, and no personal weather briefing was obtained. The aircraft made radio contact with Frankfurt Information at approximately 13:38, reporting its position east of Zweibrücken at 2,500 feet. Radar data indicated the aircraft continued eastward between flight levels 25 and 27 at speeds of 80 to 90 knots calibrated airspeed until 13:51:42.9. Subsequently, the aircraft turned 15 degrees to a heading of 75 degrees and descended at 250 to 500 feet per minute. Radar contact was lost at 13:52:52.9 at flight level 23. The aircraft impacted trees on the Kesselberg slope at 2,165 feet MSL, approximately 5 km west of Edenkoben, at around 13:53. The crash site was in overcast conditions or poor visibility due to rain. All three occupants were recovered deceased. Ground damage resulted from damaged trees and fuel leakage. The accident investigation began on May 4, 2002, at 12:00. The Dutch Transportation Safety Board, Aviation Section, the US National Transportation Safety Board, Civilair Bonn, and the German Weather Service (DWD) were notified on May 6, 2002. The aircraft was a low-wing metal construction Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, serial number 28-801 6289, with a valid airworthiness certificate and a total flight time of approximately 6,082 hours. The Lycoming O-320-D3G engine had 2,285 hours under an on-condition special maintenance program. The aircraft was owned by Air Service Limburg B.V. in the Netherlands. The last maintenance was a 100-hour inspection at 6,043 total flight hours. The aircraft was fully fueled in Maastricht the day before the accident. The total weight of the aircraft at the time of the accident was estimated at 1,010 to 1,020 kg. The aircraft was equipped for instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with a gyro horizon, heading indicator, and turn indicator, but without an autopilot. The pilot-in-command was a 45-year-old flight instructor with a valid Dutch commercial pilot license (CPL-A), including a flight instructor rating and an instrument rating. He had approximately 6,458 hours of flight experience, including 5,636 hours as a flight instructor and 995 hours in instrument flight. The 32-year-old student pilot held a valid Dutch recreational pilot license (RPL) with 152 total flight hours, including 23 hours on the PA-28 type. The 38-year-old passenger held a valid Dutch private pilot license (PPL-A) for VFR. Meteorological information indicated that the airspace over the Pfälzer Wald was under the influence of a cold front. The DWD weather report noted that no flight meteorological data or products were issued for a VFR flight from Saarbrücken to Speyer. However, available documentation, including GAFOR, AIRMET, and SWL-CEU, predicted overcast conditions in the mountains above 2,000 feet MSL, with cloud bases between 1,000 and 2,000 feet MSL, rain, and moderate turbulence. The DWD assessment concluded that the weather conditions allowed for the assumption that the crash site at 2,165 feet MSL was in the clouds.