- Date
- October 30, 1985, 20:30 local (Oct 31, 1985, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ocilla, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8401EPiper PA-34-220T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851030057339A
- Case key
- 6904
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
The pilot of the second company aircraft to arrive in the vicinity of the airport held while the first attempted an ndr approach. After the first aircraft made a missed approach the pilot of the second aircraft attempted the approach. The aircraft flew into the trees several miles prior to reaching the airport. A radar altimeter was aboard the aircraft but was not used. The pilot complained that it was just another dang buzzer and there were too many of those already.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8401E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-220T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8133135
- Airframe hours
- 1,812
- Engine
- Continental TSI00360KBIA, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Waldron & Walters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1985 · 506 hours before
- Departed
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- FZG · Fitzgerald, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FZG · Fitzgerald Municipal
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,155 total · 134 in this make and model · 8,001 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AMG, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.