- Date
- December 25, 1987, 17:55 local (22:55 UTC)
- Place
- Rutherfordton, NC
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2869CPiper PA-28RT-201
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 14, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871225071709A
- Case key
- 7576
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 was cleared for the adf approach. The aircraft was last observed on radar about one mile inside the rbn. The aircraft was located on December 27 about 4 NM NE of the airport. The aircraft impacted the trees at about the 2270-foot level of carson Mt. The field elevation at the airport is 1078. The mda for the adf approach is 1540 feet . The missed approach procedures require that the pilot turn left, climb to 3000 feet, return to the rbn and hold. In performing the missed approach the plt failed to climb to and maintain 3000 feet as instructed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2869C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201 (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7918183
- Airframe hours
- 3,907
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1-C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southeast Airmotive Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 1987 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- Louisburg, NC
- Destination
- Rutherfordton, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- RFE · Rutherfordton, runway 36, 4,300 × 75 ft
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 265 total · 69 in this make and model · 183 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.