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ATL91FA046

1991-02-04 · GREENSBORO, North Carolina, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RDU

Current FAA registration · N55263

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1973 · 18 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19730330
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A70A1F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

AN ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE WHICH RESULTED IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. AN ADDITIONAL CAUSE WAS PILOT'S PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND HIS USE OF MEDICATION.

Factual narrative

THE STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED THE SMALL UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT AT MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA, FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. DURING THE FLIGHT, HE BECAME DISORIENTED AND LOST. THE FIRST AIRPORT THE STUDENT OBSERVED WAS THE PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AND HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 23. THE STUDENT PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET BEHIND A DC-9 WHICH WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 23 AT THE SAME TIME, ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE, AND CRASHED ON THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT HAD A MALIGNANT TUMOR REMOVED FROM THE BRAIN ABOUT A YEAR EARLIER, AND WAS UNDER HEAVY MEDICATION FOR THE PROBLEM. IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT WAS SUFFERING FROM PREVIOUSLY UNDIAGNOSED ACUTE DIABETES MELLITUS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_ATL91FA046.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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