ATL04FA027
NTSB Identification: ATL04FA027.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division
Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2003 in Spartanburg, SC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/24/2005
Aircraft: Piper PA-30, registration: N7799Y
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

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 ...."


The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

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.

Full narrative available

Index for Oct2003 | Index of months