Piper PA-28-140 N1277T

Summary

On 25 December 2009 at about 04:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N1277T, operated by John Gilbert, was involved in an accident near Heflin, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 December 2009 at 04:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Heflin, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

33.7108, -85.6125

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N1277T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Gilbert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pell City → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10FA099

1 person died.

The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during night, adverse weather conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to attempt a flight that he was not qualified for and his decision to ignore known adverse weather conditions. Also contributing was the student pilot's impairment due to prescription medication and alcohol.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot departed on a night cross-country flight in his recently purchased airplane to visit his girlfriend. He had not received cross-country or instrument flight training, and did not hold the appropriate endorsements for the flight. The airplane impacted terrain about 35 miles east of the departure airport along a direct route to the destination airport. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies and, at the crash site, a lack of damage to surrounding trees and the symmetrical aft crushing of both wings indicated that the airplane impacted the ground vertically, while in a stall/spin. Witnesses and recorded weather observations revealed the presence of heavy rain and high winds in the vicinity of the accident site at the time of the accident and the student pilot's flight instructor and a friend told him not to fly on the day of the accident due to the weather. At the time of the accident, the student pilot had accumulated 26 hours of total flight experience. Toxicology testing and evidence found in the wreckage suggested that the pilot had likely taken at least twice the prescribed dose of stimulant medications in the 40 hours preceding the accident, and likely ingested alcohol around the time of the flight. The pilot’s actions suggested impaired decision-making from use of prescription stimulants and recent alcohol use. The pilot had denied any medical conditions or medications in his application for a Federal Aviation Administration Airman Medical Certificate less than 2 months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.