Piper PA-30 N7030Y
6 January 1990 · Tallahassee, Florida, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 6 January 1990 at about 01:08 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N7030Y, operated by Calley, Nicholas O., was involved in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:08
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tallahassee, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.3901, -84.5099
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30
- Registration
- N7030Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Calley, Nicholas O.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Brooksville → Tallahassee
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Not Reported
- NTSB number
- MIA90FA050
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
PILOT FACTOR IN THAT HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN A/C CONTROL IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION CAUSED BY FIXATION OF AN UNDETERMINED LIGHT SOURCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN IN IMC CONDITIONS, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27 AT TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA. THE PILOT STATED THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH, HE HAD PREPARED HIMSELF MENTALLY TO FLY THE PUBLISHED MISSED APPROACH ABOVE THE PUBLISHED DECISSION HEIGHT. HE FURTHER STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN BELOW THE GLIDE PATH AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE FINAL APPROACH COURSE. AT 300 FEET AGL THE PILOT LOOKED OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE SEARCHING FOR THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT. HE SAW LIGHTS AND A YELLOW ROTATING BEACON AND BECAME SPATIALLY DISORIENTED AND FIXATED ON THE ROTATING BEACON. HE DID NOT INCREASE HIS SCANNING OR RETURN HIS VISION BACK INSIDE TO THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS AND CRASHED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE SOURCE OF THE ROTATING BEACON WAS NOT DETERMINED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-30 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1990 | Piper PA-30 | El Monte, California, United States | Jonathan D. Smalldridge | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | Academy Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Dayton, Tennessee, United States | Lowell B. Pete | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Mar 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Margate, Florida, United States | Bernaby, Frank A. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Berlin, Vermont, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 28 Jul 1990 | Piper PA-30 | Delray Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jan 1990 | Lockheed L1329 | Miami, Florida, United States | Tokoph, David | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Dec 1990 | Cessna 172G | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Weeks, Milton D. | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 1990 | Piper PA-28-151 | Jupiter, Florida, United States | Zimmerman, Barry L. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1990 | Piper J-3 | Clewiston, Florida, United States | Nesbitt, James K. | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Dec 1990 | Beechcraft F33A | Lakeland, Florida, United States | Globe Aero Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1990 | Beechcraft 58 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |