- Date
- November 3, 1985, 17:23 local (22:23 UTC)
- Place
- Greer, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N733KUCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851103055999A
- Case key
- 7031
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
While on an ILS rwy 03 aprch at Greer, SC, the pilot descended below dh and collided with trees approx 500 ft left of runway centerline. The plt related that he descended below dh because he observed what he thought were the aprch lights.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N733KU
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268359
- Airframe hours
- 1,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gordon L. Pfefferkorn, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 6M1 · Heber Springs, AK
- Destination
- GSP · Greer, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GSP · Greer, runway 3, 7,600 × 150 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 955 total · 650 in this make and model · 915 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 375 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP, 1 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.