Piper PA-30 N7799Y

Summary

On 27 October 2003 at about 03:10 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N7799Y was involved in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 October 2003 at 03:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Spartanburg Downtown Memorial (KSPA)

Coordinates

34.9003, -81.9689

Aircraft

Piper PA-30

Registration

N7799Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Evansville → Spartanburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ATL04FA027

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to follow IFR procedures and descent below the glide path, which resulted in an inflight collision with trees during an instrument approach. A factor was the pilot's impairment due to the sedating effects of medication.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was cleared for the ILS runway 5 approach. The last recorded radar position showed the airplane at an altitude of approximately 1800 feet mean sea level, aligned with the runway 5 localizer 2.8 nautical miles from the runway threshold. A witness near the accident site heard the airplane's engines rev up, then heard popping and crashing noises and saw the airplane on the ground in flames. The wreckage was located in a wooded area 0.7 nautical miles from the runway 5 threshold about 950 feet to the right of the center of the runway 5 localizer course. Examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction with the airframe or engines. A co-worker of the pilot reported the flight initially departed Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a business flight that morning. The pilot flew the airplane to Lawrenceville, Georgia, then to Lexington, Kentucky, and then to Evansville, Indiana. The pilot dropped off his last passenger in Evansville, Indiana, and elected to return to Spartanburg, South Carolina. A family member stated the pilot had a cold and "had the sniffles." A co-worker of the pilot stated he noticed the pilot seemed to have a cold two days prior to the accident, and he stated the pilot "seemed fine" the day of the accident. Forensic toxicology revealed 0.008 ug/ml, ug/g brompheniramine was detected in the blood, and brompheniramine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine were detected in the urine. Title 14 CFR Part 91.17, Alcohol or Drugs, states, "(a) No person may act ... as a crewmember of a civil aircraft ... (3) While using any drug that affects the person's faculties in a way contrary to safety ...."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.