Piper PA-28-181 N8397Y

Summary

On 16 April 1995 at about 22:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8397Y was involved in an accident near Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 April 1995 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Schaumburg, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Schaumburg Airpark (06C)

Coordinates

41.9800, -88.0802

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8397Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Dupage Airport

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI95FA123

1 person died.

THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE DUE TO ALCOHOL, HIS RESULTANT IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION, AND HIS ATTEMPT TO PERFORM AN APPARENT AEROBATIC MANEUVER AT AN ALTITUDE THAT WAS INSUFFICIENT TO ASSURE RECOVERY.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

BEFORE DEPARTING TO RELOCATE THE NONAEROBATIC AIRPLANE TO ANOTHER AIRPORT, THE 70-YEAR-OLD PILOT TOLD WITNESSES HE WOULD PERFORM A FLYBY. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED OVERFLYING THE RUNWAY AT LOW ALTITUDE. IT ROLLED INVERTED, AND THE NOSE DROPPED THROUGH VERTICAL AS IN A 'SPLIT-S' MANEUVER. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A WINGS-LEVEL, RIGHT-SIDE-UP ATTITUDE, HEADING OPPOSITE (180 DEGREES) TO THE DIRECTION OF INITIAL ENTRY. POST-MORTEM TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED ETHANOL LEVELS OF 96 MG/DL (0.096%) IN VITREOUS FLUID AND 24 MG/DL (0.024%) IN LIVER TISSUE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.