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20000525010399A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Chapel Hill, NC · May 25, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 25, 2000 · 10:45 local
Place
Chapel Hill, NC
Airport
Horace Williams Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N47561
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00LA171
Reported as
Piper PA28161
Reported engine
Lycoming O320D3G
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,708 total534 in this make and model167 in the last 90 days
N47561Registration cancelled Dec 14, 2000 · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7816097Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161

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.

(-23) While on short final for the Chapel Hill airport, the aircraft encountered a severe down draft at 300 AGL and 1/4 mile final. The aircraft then rolled approximately 90 degrees to the left. The pilot leveled the aircraft wings just as the aircraft impacted the ground. (.4)according to the CFI, he and the student obtained their preflight weather briefing via the flight school's computer/cirrus wx software, and were advised that present weather was good but be alert to afternoon thunderstorms. At about the same time they departed, the local afss was advising subsequent flights, 'a line of thunderstorms was approaching from the west much more quickly than anticipated', and to reconsider flying at that time. The accident flight completed their first leg successfully, but encountered unexpectedly strong winds on their return leg's approach for landing. Despite the cfi's assuming control of the airplane, altitude and heading control was lost when encountering severely gusting winds and the flight collided with the terrain short of the intended landing point.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE ON SHORT FINAL FOR THE CHAPEL HILL AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE DOWN DRAFT AT 300 AGL AND 1/4 MILE FINAL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROLLED APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT LEVELED THE AIRCRAFT WINGS JUST AS THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND. (.4)ACCORDING TO THE CFI, HE AND THE STUDENT OBTAINED THEIR PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING VIA THE FLIGHT SCHOOL'S COMPUTER/CIRRUS WX SOFTWARE, AND WERE ADVISED THAT PRESENT WEATHER WAS GOOD BUT BE ALERT TO AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THEY DEPARTED, THE LOCAL AFSS WAS ADVISING SUBSEQUENT FLIGHTS, 'A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS APPROACHING FROM THE WEST MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN ANTICIPATED', AND TO RECONSIDER FLYING AT THAT TIME. THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT COMPLETED THEIR FIRST LEG SUCCESSFULLY, BUT ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTEDLY STRONG WINDS ON THEIR RETURN LEG'S APPROACH FOR LANDING. DESPITE THE CFI'S ASSUMING CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE, ALTITUDE AND HEADING CONTROL WAS LOST WHEN ENCOUNTERING SEVERELY GUSTING WINDS AND THE FLIGHT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN SHORT OF THE INTENDED LANDING POINT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA00LA171Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportChapel Hill, NCThe failure of the CFI to delay his landing until the approaching line of thunderstorms passed, causing the flight to encounter severely gusting wind conditions resulting in the loss of altitude control and collision with the terrain.May 25, 2000 · Destroyed

Other reports on N47561 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19810130016039IGo Round (Aborted VFR) · Klossner, MNDuring go-around the aircraft struck tree top. Minor damage to wing tip.Jan 30, 1981 · Minor damage