- Date
- March 13, 1989, 23:24 local (Mar 14, 1989, 05:24 UTC)
- Place
- Holley, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5572WPiper PA-28-160
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890313004999A
- Case key
- 32280
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
Continued flight by the plt into adverse wx, followed by spatial disorientation and loss of aircraft control. Lack of a preflight weather briefing, weather conditions, and lack of visual cues at night were considered contributing factors.
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
Drg a ngt x-country flt, the plt was rcvg VFR flt flwg fm eglin afb apch ctl. While cruising at 4500 ft, he obtained wx for the area. He was adzd that according to 1 hr old obsns, wx at eglin was 1700' sct, & at crestview, there was a 3000'BKN ceiling. The plt elected to dscnd thru 'this thin layer' to 1500' & was adzd to remain VFR. Subsequently, he rprtd at 1500', then was adzd to ctc pensacola apch ctl, since he was leaving eglin's airspace. The plt acknowledged, but there was no further radio ctc with the acft. A search was initiated & the acft was fnd 5 days ltr where it had crashed in a remote/unlighted area on a bombing range. An exam of the acft revealed it had crashed in a steep, nose down, rgt wing low attitude. No preimpact mechanical prblm of the acft was fnd, but it was badly dmgd by impact & fire. Abt 22 mi west at pensacola, the wx was 800' bkn, 1700' bkn, vis 7 mi; abt 17 mi east at eglin, the wx was ptly obscd, 400' thin sct, 1500' thin sct, vis 3 mi with fog. No record was fnd of a preflt wx briefing for the non-instrument rated plt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5572W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-679
- Airframe hours
- 4,255
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Davis, Daniel C.
- Registered owner
- Timithy G. Foster
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 1988 · 171 hours before
- Departed
- TLH · Tallahassee, FL
- Destination
- PNS · Pensacola, FL
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 530 total · 300 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 1 knots
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VPS, 16 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.