Pilot Gets Wrapped Up In Setting Up Autopilot... Passenger Alerts Him To Rising Terrain

Oh boy.... there isn't a pilot alive that can't relate to getting all wrapped up in some issue in the cockpit when they should have had their head engaged on other issues... like flying the airplane and avoiding terrain.

KMVT Screen-Grab

Surprisingly; this accident was survivable (as so few of them are), but the lessons are here to be absorbed by one and all... LOOK WHERE YOU'RE FLYING!

NTSB Identification: WPR12LA048
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 29, 2011 in Hailey, ID
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32RT-300T, registration: N36824
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On November 29, 2011, about 1900 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, N36824, impacted the terrain about one mile east of Friedman Memorial Airport, Hailey, Idaho. The pilot received minor injuries, his passenger received serious injuries, and the airplane, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal transportation flight, which had just departed Hailey for Nampa, Idaho, was being operated in night visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.

According to the pilot, during the initial climb over the valley that extends south from Hailey, he was focused on trying to get the autopilot system set up in a manner that would allow it to be used to direct the airplane to Nampa. During the time that the pilot was focused on the autopilot, the airplane began turning to the left without him being aware of it. As the airplane continued to turn, it approached the steeply rising terrain to the east of the airport. The passenger, who was looking outside, noticed the oncoming terrain and made the pilot aware of the situation. When the pilot saw the terrain, he quickly reached the conclusion that he was not going to be able to avoid it, so he maneuvered the airplane into a controlled crash.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov