- Date
- April 22, 1984, 13:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, GA
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5009TPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840422013969A
- Case key
- 6271
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Before starting an apch, the plt was advised the wx was: 300 ft obscured, visibility 3/4 mi with light rain & fog. The minimums for a straight-in VOR apch to rwy 2 were 400 ft mda & 1 mi visibility; for a circling apch, the minimums were 433 ft & 1 mi. The plt told atlanta center that he would try the apch to Athens 1 time. He initiated the apch to rwy 2. Witnesses saw the acft cross the arpt from south to north, enter low clouds, then heard what they interpreted to be a right turn. They then saw the acft descending in a right turn & disappear behind buildings. It crashed 57 ft east of rwy 2/20. The seriously injured plt could not recall the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5009T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7205238
- Airframe hours
- 3,871
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-H4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cherokee Chiefs/James Sturgeon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 1983 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- MCO · Orlando, FL
- Destination
- AHN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- AHN · Athens Municipal, runway 20, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 424 total · 64 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 18 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5009T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.