- Date
- December 9, 1987, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Anniston, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15629Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871209069979A
- Case key
- 7571
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 VFR pilot continued the flight into deteriorating weather conditions and attempted to descend below the lowering clouds until the aircraft was too low to turn around safely and return to VFR flight conditions. The aircraft collided with trees and struck the side of a mountain. The plt stated that when he could not get under the low clouds he decided to climb and attempt to get on top. He said he had applied full power to climb and about 5 seconds later the acft collided with the top of trees and then the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15629
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325121
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- A. E. Gambel - J. R. Gambel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 16, 1987 · 11 hours before
- Destination
- CAE · Columbia, SC
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 388 total · 309 in this make and model · 373 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ANB, 30 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.