- Date
- February 7, 1986, 23:17 local (Feb 8, 1986, 04:17 UTC)
- Place
- Lynchburg, VA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9477CPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860207087279A
- Case key
- 11201
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 aircraft had departed elberton, Georgia at about 2043 hours on an IFR flight plan to Lynchburg, Virginia. After failing to descend out of 4000 feet during the first approach, N9477C was vectored around for a second ILS approach to runway 3. Since the tower controller had gone off duty the sequence flashing lights for that runway were activated by the pilot. Weather recording instruments on the field indicated that they had been activated during the first approach but had gone out 8 minutes before the accident during the time the aircraft was being vectored back to the ILS localizer. The aircraft impacted trees and the ground just short of and to the left of the approach end of runway 3.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9477C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7800004
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Augusta Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 27, 1986
- Departed
- 27A · Elberton, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LYH · Lynchburg Municipal, runway 3, 5,799 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 244° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LYH, 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.