Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600) crash, Nov 9, 1996 (3 killed)
Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600) accident on November 9, 1996 near New Bern, North Carolina, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause: The pilot's...
- Date: November 9, 1996
- Aircraft: Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600)
- Location: New Bern, North Carolina, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, with his limited experience in this type as a contributing factor.
A Piper Aerostar 600 was taking off from New Bern while over its maximum gross weight. It flew low with the gear retracted, banked left and pitched down, then entered a flat spin and hit the ground upright. The pilot had only about five hours in type, and the NTSB found no pre-impact failure of the flight controls or engines.