- Date
- February 4, 1991, 15:19 local (20:19 UTC)
- Place
- Greensboro, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55263Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910204001599A
- Case key
- 8309
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
An encounter with wake turbulence which resulted in an uncontrolled descent. An additional cause was pilot's physiological conditions and his use of medication.
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 student pilot departed the small uncontrolled airport at mount airy, north carolina, for a local flight. During the flight, he became disoriented and lost. The first airport the student observed was the piedmont triad international airport, and he attempted to land on runway 23. The student pilot attempted to land approximately 100 feet behind a DC-9 which was landing on runway 23 at the same time, encountered wake turbulence, and crashed on the side of the runway. After the accident, it was discovered that the student pilot had a malignant tumor removed from the brain about a year earlier, and was under heavy medication for the problem. It was also discovered that the student pilot was suffering from previously undiagnosed acute diabetes mellitus at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55263
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287305345
- Engine
- Lycoming 0360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Carolina Air Academy, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Carolina Air Academy, Inc.
- Departed
- MWK · Mount Airy, NC
- Airport
- RDU · Raleigh-Durham, runway 23, 7,500 × 150 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
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 213 total · 102 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- GSO, 1 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.