- Date
- February 6, 1990, 15:12 local (20:12 UTC)
- Place
- Norris, TN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4338UPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900206001679A
- Case key
- 8112
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's misjudged descent which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. A factor was that the pilot was buzzing when the accident occurred.
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
After completing a dual instructional flight the student planned and flew his 1st cross country flight. During the planning he asked his instructor if he could fly to the town where his parents lived. He was told no & assigned an airport to fly to, make one landing, and return. After completing the landing at his assigned destination, the airplane was then seen over his parent's house about 34 nmi west of the airport. It was 23 nmi north of his home airport. Witnesses briefly saw the airplane, in a descent, just before it collided with trees. It then rolled and dove into the ground onto a wooded lot next to his parent's house. Investigation revealed no malfunctions with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4338U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8416079
- Airframe hours
- 2,963
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Volunteer Avi. Of Knoxville
- Registered owner
- Okelley, Davis & Genie Rae
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 21, 1989 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- TYS · Alcoa, TN
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 39 total · 14 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 20 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.