Brazos County Plane Crash

[tmbstn]

12/19/2011 22:00pm(aprox)
Small Plane crashed into farmers field in NE Brazos County near Jack Manning RD. 5 confirmed DOA (4 adults 1child). Plane en-route to Waco. First reports state that plane requested alternate route to avoid weather system. FAA investigating.

 

[n5ims]

Here's the local TV station's report on that accident. Plane Crashes in Northeast Brazos County; Five Dead

 

[mfn002]

That's the third crash in this area this year, and the second deadly one. The first happened in a few months ago when a small plane trying to make an emergency landing at the local airport crashed into an apartment complex after it ran out of fuel; the pilot and a passenger were killed. A few weeks ago, another plane crashed after making an emergency landing (again due to fuel exhaustion) near Caldwell in adjacent Burleson County; the plane hit a ditch and flipped over, but no serious injuries. I don't really recall having this many accidents in one year before. We'll usually get one or two emergencies a year, but they usually land safely.

As for this one, I didn't really know what was going on until I heard the local volunteer fire department request another ambulance from Bryan, and the call went out as a "plane crash". After that message got my attention, the dispatcher reported that the farmer who found the crash said that the occupants were "obviously dead". He also reported that there was no explosion when the plane crashed, which seems to line up with the lack of visible fire damage or charring on the wreckage.

According to the latest report, the plane apparently seems to have broken up in mid air, and the FAA said that the crash was likely weather-related, although it was not raining in the area at the time of the crash. Contrary to some reports, there was also no severe weather in the area. Adding even more to the mystery, it was also going in the opposite direction from where the controller at DFW directed it to go. Whatever caused that plane to break up like that had to be fairly strong.

 

[MtnBiker2005]

The last Flight
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3590T/history/20111219/2340Z/KJAN/KCNW

ASN Aircraft accident - 19-DEC-2011 Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six N3590T
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=140489

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA108
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 19, 2011 in Bryan, TX
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32-260, registration: N3590T
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. On December 19, 2011, about 2150 central standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3590T, collided with terrain following an in-flight breakup near Bryan, Texas. The instrument rated private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight had originated from the Clayton County Airport (4A7), Hampton, Georgia, approximately 1345. After a planed fuel stop at the Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN), Jackson, Mississippi, the flight departed about 1750 for the TSTC Waco Airport (CNW), Waco, Texas.

An initial review of air traffic control (ATC) recordings revealed that the pilot was diverting around an area of thunderstorms at the time of the accident. The pilot last reported that he was in “bad” weather and was going to try to get out of it. Following that transmission, radio and radar contact was lost.

About 2150 an ear witness, located in her house, heard a sound resembling an explosion. The witness reported that at the time she heard the noise, the rain was falling as a light drizzle. However, by the time she and her husband got outside to see what the explosion was, the rain started pouring down. The witness’s husband located the main airplane wreckage approximately 450 feet southwest of their house. While searching for survivors they called 9-1-1.

The airplane came to rest in a pasture field, covering an area approximately 1/2 mile long by 200 feet wide. There was no postcrash fire. Following the on-site examination, the wreckage was recovered to a secure facility.

http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20111219X15943

********************************************************************************
**   Notice created 12/22/2011   Notice 1                                     **
********************************************************************************

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: N3590T        Make/Model: PA32      Description: PA-32 Cherokee Six, Six, Saratoga, Turbo
  Date: 12/20/2011     Time: 0344

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: BRYAN   State: TX   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 5 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE 
  FATALLY INJURED, NEAR BRYAN, TX, 

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   5
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   4     Fat:   4     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    

WEATHER: 0413Z SPECI 2205KT 10SM SCT20 BKN050 OVC 080 20/18 A2934

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: HOUSTON, TX  (SW09)                   Entry date: 12/20/2011

http://www.faa.gov/data_research/accident_incident/preliminary_data/events03/media/01_3590T.txt

 

[mfn002]

Thanks for that. I stand corrected about the ground weather conditions over the crash site at the time of the accident. An SO deputy told a firefighter on scene to ask the witness if it was raining at the time, and the witness said no, and that was what was relayed to the deputy, so that's where my assumption that there was no rain at the time came from.

Anyway, the wreckage was collected Wednesday and shipped off to a warehouse up near Dallas for further examination.

 

[Northzulchrancher]

Well, there was another incident last night in Conroe. A CAP pilot did an emergence landing on a Conroe street when her engine failed.

Pilot Lands Small Plane On Conroe Street