ATL88FA010

Factual narrative

THE PLTS TRIP HOME HAD BEEN DELAYED ONE DAY DUE TO WX ENRT. HE HAD CALLED THE FSS EARLY FOR A BRIEFING AND HAD BEEN ADVISED THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO TROUBLE FOR A NOON DEPART TIME. HE DEPTD CLEMSON ABOUT 1000 AND ACTIVATED HIS VFR FLT PLAN. HE THEN CONTACTED GSP APCH CONTROL FOR CLEARANCE THROUGH THE GSP AREA. EIGHT MINUTES PRIOR TO THE MISHAP, THE PLT REQ CLEARANCE TO CLB TO 7,500 FT BECAUSE HE WAS GETTING CLOSE TO A CLOUD BANK. CLEARANCE WAS DENIED DUE TO A CESSNA 185 AT 7,500 AND WHICH WAS GOING NE. THE 185 RADIOED GSP APCH THAT HE WAS GOING BACK TO GRIFFIN BECAUSE 'IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD UP HERE NOW'. HE WAS BETWEEN LAYERS. THE PIPER WAS CLRD TO 7,500. ABOUT ONE MIN AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HE WAS AT 7,500, GSP APCH RADIOED TO THE PIPER THAT THEY OBSERVED HIM IN A LT TURN AND DESCENDING. 30 SEC LATER THE ELT ACTIVATED. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO COME OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE OVC IN PIECES, FOLLOWING AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12