- Date
- February 16, 1988, 21:20 local (Feb 17, 1988, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9265TPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880216002599A
- Case key
- 7704
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 plt rptd that he inadvertently allowed the airplane to descend below the VASI glidepath while on short-final, and that he failed to react in time to correct the situation. The airplane subsequently impacted an embankment short of the rwy threshold, in a nose-high attitude. The plt indicated that he had 'fixated' on the rwy threshold lights during the nighttime appch, which resulted in his failure to detect the descent below the glidepath.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9265T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- PA-38-112
- Airframe hours
- 1,993
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Old South Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Sigourney Iowa Airport
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1987 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- PDK · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- GVL · Gainesville, GA
- Airport
- GVL · Lee Gilmer Memorial, runway 22, 5,000 × 100 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 327 total · 45 in this make and model · 298 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 19 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.