Piper PA-28-151 accident near Powder Springs, TN
On January 3, 2009, a Piper PA-28-151 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Powder Springs, TN. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 3, 2009
- Place
- Powder Springs, TN
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.216°N, 83.686°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090103X93911
Official records · ERA09LA123
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Chronological Summary of Flight and Transcription of Voice Recording: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 3, 2009, about 1215 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-151, N43631, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain, near Powder Springs, Tennessee. The certificated private pilot and the sole passenger were killed. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the flight that departed Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport (GKT), Sevierville, Tennessee, and was destined for Warsaw Municipal Airport (ASW), Warsaw, Indiana. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a witness who was outside of his house, the "weather was overcast," and he could not see the tops of the mountains. He heard an airplane traveling in a northerly direction, and heard the engine, "cutout, two to three times" prior to hearing the airplane "crash" into trees, and the engine "stop." He advised that he distinctly heard the trees "felled." He told his wife about what he heard and then called "911." He estimated that the ceiling at the time was about 100 to 200 feet below the tops of the mountains, which equates to 1,700 to 1,800 feet above sea level (msl). PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and did not possess an instrument rating. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on June 26, 2007 at which time he reported 116 total hours of flight experience. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was lent to the pilot by the owner. According
Probable cause
The non-instrument rated pilot's decision to continue under visual flight rules into an area of instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.
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Browse: Tennessee · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
