- Date
- January 5, 1990, 20:08 local (Jan 6, 1990, 01:08 UTC)
- Place
- Tallahassee, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7030YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900105000179A
- Case key
- 32542
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
Pilot factor in that he failed to maintain a/c control in instrument meteorological conditions due to spatial disorientation caused by fixation of an undetermined light source.
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
While on an IFR flight plan in IMC conditions, the pilot was cleared for an ILS approach to runway 27 at Tallahassee regional airport, Tallahassee, Florida. The pilot stated throughout the approach, he had prepared himself mentally to fly the published missed approach above the published decission height. He further stated the airplane was flown below the glide path and to the right of the final approach course. At 300 feet AGL the pilot looked outside the airplane searching for the runway environment. He saw lights and a yellow rotating beacon and became spatially disoriented and fixated on the rotating beacon. He did not increase his scanning or return his vision back inside to the airplane's flight instruments and crashed. The airplane was destroyed. The pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The source of the rotating beacon was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7030Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-31
- Airframe hours
- 3,578
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Calley, Nicholas O.
- Registered owner
- Calley, Nicholas O
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 6, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- BKV · Brooksville, FL
- Destination
- TLH · Tallahassee, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- runway 27, 8,000 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 476 total · 164 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TLH
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 N7030Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.