• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Night IMC kills three

By NTSB · July 22, 2012 ·

This July 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed.

What reportedly happened: The pilot, who had logged 640 hours, received a one-hour “checkout” with a CFI on July 6, 2010, so that he could rent the airplane. He was supposed to fly again, solo, on July 12, to satisfy night currency requirements, however, he canceled that flight due to adverse weather. He rented the Cherokee on the day of the accident, with the stipulation that he return it by 8:30 p.m., which was the onset of night, due to his lack of night currency.

The first leg of the flight was uneventful, but the pilot’s return was delayed because of adverse weather. He had an instrument rating but was not instrument current. According to his logbook, his total actual instrument experience was 24.1 hours and his total simulated instrument experience was 69 hours. His most recent actual instrument experience was 0.5 hours on Feb. 8.

On the day of the accident, he received a standard weather briefing from flight service personnel for an IFR return flight. The weather briefer advised of a convective SIGMET along the coast, with the largest cell just west of the departure airport. The briefer recommended either a northeast departure or a southwest departure, to remain clear of the large cell, before flying to the west on-course to the destination airport. The recorded weather at the departure airport included a broken ceiling at 1,100 feet, overcast ceiling at 2,000 feet, and a remark of distant lightning west of the airport.

Review of radar data revealed that convective weather, with associated strong intensity echoes, was present about 12 miles west of the departure airport. After takeoff, the airplane turned left about 180° and proceeded northeast along the coast. The radar track then varied between north and northeast until about five minutes when the airplane reach a altitude of 2,300 feet MSL and began a right descending turn. The last radar target was recorded about five miles northeast of the departure airport, indicating an altitude of 1,800 feet. The Piper crashed into a home and burned.

Although the official end of civil twilight occurred one minute after the accident, the combination of a dark dusk sky, multiple cloud ceilings, precipitation, and the distraction of maneuvering around a large convective cell would have been challenging for a pilot with limited recent actual instrument experience.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering in IMC around a thunderstorm. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of recent actual instrument experience.

For more information: NTSB.gov. NTSB Identification: ERA10FA359

 

People who read this article also read articles on airparks, airshow, airshows, avgas, aviation fuel, aviation news, aircraft owner, avionics, buy a plane, FAA, fly-in, flying, general aviation, learn to fly, pilots, Light-Sport Aircraft, LSA, and Sport Pilot.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines