19880924059649I

Incident

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Charlottesville, VA · September 24, 1988

Date
September 24, 1988 · 13:16 local
Place
Charlottesville, VA
Airport
Charlottesville-Albemarle
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N3023C
Reported as
Piper PA28181
Reported engine
Lycoming O360A4M
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
253 total250 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

VFR pilot, being disoriented and caught on top, was assisted by ATC to descend below clouds for a safe landing.

As the FAA filed it

VFR PILOT, BEING DISORIENTED AND CAUGHT ON TOP, WAS ASSISTED BY ATC TO DESCEND BELOW CLOUDS FOR A SAFE LANDING.