Piper PA-28-161 N47561

Summary

On 25 May 2000 at about 14:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N47561 was involved in an accident near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 May 2000 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Horace Williams (IGX)

Coordinates

35.9207, -79.0393

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N47561

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Raleigh-Durham → Chapel Hill

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA00LA171

2 people had minor injuries.

The failure of the CFI to delay his landing until the approaching line of thunderstorms passed, causing the flight to encounter severely gusting wind conditions resulting in the loss of altitude control and collision with the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the CFI, he and the student obtained their preflight weather briefing via the flight school's computer/CIRRUS WX software, and were advised that present weather was good but be alert to afternoon thunderstorms. At about the same time they departed, the local AFSS was advising subsequent flights, 'A line of thunderstorms was approaching from the west much more quickly than anticipated', and to reconsider flying at that time. The accident flight completed their first leg successfully, but encountered unexpectedly strong winds on their return leg's approach for landing. Despite the CFI's assuming control of the airplane, altitude and heading control was lost when encountering severely gusting winds and the flight collided with the terrain short of the intended landing point.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.