Plane crash cause a mystery to government investigators

Exactly why a Piper airplane carrying four Notre Dame fans to Clemson crashed and killed all on board remains a mystery to investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board.  The NTSB has released its final report on the October 2, 2015 crash near Lake Hartwell between Westminster, South Carolina and Toccoa,Georgia.  Under probable cause and findings, the NTSB “determines the probable cause(s) of the accident to be:  The pilot’s loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.”  The pilot was 71-year old Charles Smith and three other Indiana residents.  They were bound for the Oconee Regional Airport and the next night’s Clemson-Notre Dame game which was played in a monsoon. Part of the investigators analysis reads this way:  “Nearing the conclusion of a cross-country, instrument flight rules flight in instrument meteorological conditions, the private pilot was entering a procedure turn in advance of conducting an instrument approach to the destination airport. The pilot reported to air traffic control that he was outbound on the procedure turn but did not subsequently report when the airplane was inbound. Shortly thereafter, a military flight on the frequency reported hearing a “mayday” call and that the airplane was “going down.” No further communications were received from the accident airplane. Radar and GPS data showed the airplane in a right, rapidly descending spiral. Witness statements and the distribution of the wreckage indicated that the airplane experienced an in-flight breakup. A post accident examination of the air frame and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Fractures to the right wing and stabilator were consistent with over stress and likely occurred during an attempted recovery from the descending spiral….”