- Date
- February 2, 1991, 19:14 local (Feb 3, 1991, 00:14 UTC)
- Place
- Cordele, GA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9209PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910202001539A
- Case key
- 8310
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
Failure of the pilot to attain proper runway alignment and to maintain proper altitude. Related factors were: darkness and the pilot becoming lost/disoriented.
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 and two passengers were flying to an airport to pick up a friend. Night VMC prevailed. Witnesses observed the airplane flying at about 300 ft AGL at various positions over the city, varying headings, and sometimes circling. One witness stated that the pilot 'seemed like he didn't know where he was going.' The airplane then proceeded toward the midfield point of the airport on a northerly heading. It collided with pine trees, then fell into the roof of a church located 150 feet farther north. The aircraft, and church, were destroyed by fire. The fuel selector valve was found in the 'left aux' tank position; however, aux tanks were to be used in level flight only. Actuator settings indicated the gear was down & the flaps were up. Prop signatures indicated prop rotation in a power producing mode at impact. The runway lights for rwy 9/27 were on at the time, and the aircraft's northerly heading was not aligned with any runway. The location of the airport did not require the city to be overflown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9209P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-4704
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Carter, Richard C.
- Registered owner
- Carter, Richard C.
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- GA04 · Locust Grove, GA
- Airport
- 02J · Crisp-County Cordele
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 775 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABY, 34 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.
Other investigations on N9209P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.