- Date
- November 28, 1990, 19:41 local (Nov 29, 1990, 00:41 UTC)
- Place
- Bunnell, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N174ERPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901128052189A
- Case key
- 32739
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain altitude, while maneuvering at night over an unlighted area, which resulted in a collision with trees. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and possible spatial disorientation of the pilot due to lack of visual ques.
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
After taking off at night, the plt was following a VFR procedure, which took the acft over a dark unlighted area. Subsequently, it collided with trees & crashed about 8 mi from the arpt, while in a shallow descent. The main wreckage came to rest 578 feet past the initial tree impact point. No evidence of a preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction of the acft or eng was found. The plt had accumulated 12 hrs of night flying time. His previous night flt was 106 days before the acdnt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N174ER
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2841213
- Airframe hours
- 1,693
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 26, 1990 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 158 total · 50 in this make and model · 62 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 20 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.