ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 39981
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| Date: | Sunday 5 March 1989 |
| Time: | 04:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-140 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N5348S |
| MSN: | 2826770 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2719 hours |
| Engine model: | LYCOMING O-320-E2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Douglas Twsp, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Pottstown, PA (N47) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A STUDENT PLT & PASSENGER TOOK OFF AT NIGHT IN IMC CONDITIONS WITH LOW CEILINGS, FOG & RAIN. A WITNESS, WHO SAW THE ACFT FLY OVERHEAD, VERIFIED THE CEILING WAS VERY LOW & THAT RAIN WAS FALLING, SOMETIMES HEAVILY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 2 MI FROM THE airport AS IT FLEW INTO TREES ON ABOUT 5 DEG RISING TERRAIN. THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED, BUT THE PLT WALKED TO A ROADWAY & WAS HELPED. THE ACFT WAS OWNED BY THE STUDENT PLT'S FATHER, WHO SAID HE TOOK IT WITHOUT PERMISSION. BEFORE FLYING, BOTH OCCUPANTS OF THE ACFT WERE SEEN CONSUMING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. FOUR HRS AFTER THE ACDNT, BLOOD WAS DRAWN FROM THE PLT. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK SHOWED IT HAD AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.075% (75 MG/DL). A CHECK OF THE PASSENGER'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.085% (85 MG/DL). POLICE RPRTD THE PASSENGER WAS NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT. CAUSE: POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE STUDENT PILOT BY FLYING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL, AND HIS VFR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) WITHOUT THE REQUIRED QUALIFICATION OR TRAINING. FACTORS FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES AND DIRECTIVES, HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT TRAINING, DARK NIGHT, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, RISING TERRAIN, TREES, AND FAILURE OF THE PASSENGER TO USE A SEAT BELT.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X27978
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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