Zone

Crash of a Piper PA-31T1 Cheyenne I in Dampierre-en-Yvelines: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 2, 2004 at 1625 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N480CA
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tel Aviv – Corfu – Toussus-le-Noble
MSN:
31-8004051
YOM:
1980
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
641
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Tel Aviv on a flight to Toussus-le-Noble with an intermediate stop in Corfu, carrying two passengers and one pilot. On approach at 3,000 feet, the aircraft' speed and height dropped. It entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wooded area located in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, about 10 km from the runway 07L threshold. All three occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The loss of control is probably the consequence of a rapid icing of the airframe insufficiently or belatedly taken into account by the pilot. The following factors may have contributed to the accident:
- The pilot's fatigue generated by a flight period of 8 hours and 30 minutes in a single pilot configuration,
- The single pilot configuration imposes a high workload during a VOR-DME approach.
Final Report: