# Accident 19980906022839A: Piper PA44180, Daytona Beach, FL, September 6, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 6, 1998, 23:23 local time
- Place: Daytona Beach, FL
- Airport: Daytona Beach Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.1893° N, 81.0492° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.1893&lon=-81.0492&mi=10
- Aircraft: N922ER, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N922ER-1999-11-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA44180
- Reported engine: LYC O360E1A6
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 984 total, 18 in this make and model, 171 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98FA239](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98FA239) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980906022839A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.19) ACFT WAS ON SHORT FINAL TO RWY 7L WHEN IT NOSED OVER AND CRASHED, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (.4) THE PILOT GAINED UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THE AIRCRAFT AND DEPARTED THE AIRPORT FOLLOWED A SHORT TIME LATER BY A REQUEST TO ATC FOR AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 7 LEFT. AS THE FLIGHT APPROACHED THE RUNWAY IT WAS OBSERVED AT A HIGH ALTITUDE AND WHEN QUESTIONED IF HE COULD GET DOWN AND LAND, THE PILOT REPORTED 'THIS WILL BE MY FINAL LANDING.' WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLY OVER THE END OF THE RUNWAY AT ABOUT 600 FEET AND THEN DESCEND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE UNTIL IMPACT WITH THE RUNWAY. ENGINE POWER WAS OBSERVED TO GO TO FULL POWER AS THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED. THE PILOT WAS OBSERVED TO HAVE CONSUMED ALCOHOL BEVERAGES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND WAS FOUND TO HAVE A ALCOHOL LEVEL OF .15 G/DL IN THE LIVER. THE PILOT LEFT A NOTE STATING 'I DO NOT WANT TO LIVE.' THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS OFFICE RULED THE MANNER OF DEATH AS SUICIDE.                        (-23) PILOT DEPARTED DAB ON AN UNAUTHORIZED FLIGHT. REQUESTED AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 7L. ATCT OBSERVED HIM AT APPROXIMATELY 1300' OVER THE NUMBERS, AND ADVISED HIM THAT HE WAS HIGH. PILOT REPLIED THAT IT WAS ALRIGHT, THIS  WOULD BE HIS LAST LANDING HERE. AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED DIVING INTO THE RUNWAY. SUICIDE NOTE LOCATED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA98FA239](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98FA239), Sep 7, 1998: Piper PA-44-180 (N922ER), Daytona Beach, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's use of the aircraft to commit suicide.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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