- Date
- December 25, 1992, 18:14 local (23:14 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2603ZPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921225051829A
- Case key
- 8682
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from approach lights while conducting a night landing. A factor was a dark night.
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
According to the pilot's wife, who was seated in the right front seat during the flight, everything was okay and the pilot had not experienced a problem with the airplane. However, as the flight arrived into the airport traffic area, the pilot expressed some confusion about the visual traffic clearance to land. After a brief conversation with the controller, the pilot established a left downwind for runway 08. The pilot further inquired about the runway lights and was advised that they were operational. After some maneuvering, the pilot was established on a final approach for runway 08. About 800 feet from the end of the runway the airplane collided with the approach lights and impacted the ground about 375 feet short of the runway. Examination of the airframe and subsystems failed to disclose a mechanical problem.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2603Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-8154011
- Airframe hours
- 2,658
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hester, Milton M.
- Registered owner
- Hester, Milton M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1992
- Departed
- AZE · Hazlehurst, GA
- Destination
- FTY
- Airport
- FTY · Fulton County, runway 8, 5,796 × 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, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 62 in this make and model · 259 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY, 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.