- Date
- October 18, 1989, 19:02 local (23:02 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, TN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5005SPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891018041419A
- Case key
- 32531
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
Loss of control of the airplane in instrument flight conditions due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an inadvertent descending spiral. Lack of total experience in the type of operation (actual instrument conditions) was considered to be a contributing factor.
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 an IFR flt at 8000' MSL in IMC conds, the plt was cleared by ATC to dscnd & maint 4000'. He acknowleged. Aprx 2 min later, he was adzd that radar svc was terminated & was told to contact apch control on another freq. The plt's acknowledgement was unintelligible. Subsequently, contact with the acft was lost & it crashed in a steep dscnt. Before the acdnt, a witness heard the acft circling overhead. Initially, he was unable to see the acft due to clouds, then he saw the acft come out of the clouds in a steep dive. He said the nose of the acft appeared to pull up just before impact. Radar data showed that the acft was in a spiraling dscnt before it crashed. The plt had just rcvd an instrument rating on 9/20/89. This was his 1st known flt in actual instrument conds since he had rcvd his new rating. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft was found, although it was badly damaged by impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5005S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R35729
- Airframe hours
- 5,239
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Delta Plus,Inc
- Registered owner
- Delta Plus Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 10, 1988 · 178 hours before
- Departed
- MOR · Morristown, TN
- Destination
- HDI · Cleveland, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 435 total · 202 in this make and model · 255 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 36 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 N5005S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.