- Date
- October 12, 1987, 10:26 local (14:26 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, SC
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N84430Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871012059219A
- Case key
- 7561
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 plts trip home had been delayed one day due to wx enrt. He had called the fss early for a briefing and had been advised that there should be no trouble for a noon depart time. He deptd clemson about 1000 and activated his VFR flt plan. He then contacted gsp apch control for clearance through the gsp area. Eight minutes prior to the mishap, the plt req clearance to clb to 7,500 ft because he was getting close to a cloud bank. Clearance was denied due to a Cessna 185 at 7,500 and which was going NE. The 185 radioed gsp apch that he was going back to griffin because 'it doesn't look too good up here now'. He was between layers. The Piper was clrd to 7,500. About one min after acknowledging that he was at 7,500, gsp apch radioed to the Piper that they observed him in a lt turn and descending. 30 sec later the ELT activated. The acft was observed to come out of the bottom of the ovc in pieces, following an inflight breakup.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84430
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216009
- Airframe hours
- 1,035
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gmi, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1987 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- CEU · Clemson, SC
- Destination
- PKB · Parkersburg, WV
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GMU · Greenville Downtown
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 215 total · 204 in this make and model · 113 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GMU, 2 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.