Piper PA-30 accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, October 27, 2003
On October 27, 2003 at about 3:10 am local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7799Y, was destroyed in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina (Spartanburg Downtown Memorial airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow IFR procedures and descent below the glide path, which resulted in an inflight collision with trees during an instrument approach. A factor was the pilot's impairment due to the sedating effects of medication.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 2003 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Spartanburg, South Carolina · Spartanburg Downtown Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7799Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-631
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was cleared for the ILS runway 5 approach. The last recorded radar position showed the airplane at an altitude of approximately 1800 feet mean sea level, aligned with the runway 5 localizer 2.8 nautical miles from the runway threshold. A witness near the accident site heard the airplane's engines rev up, then heard popping and crashing noises and saw the airplane on the ground in flames. The wreckage was located in a wooded area 0.7 nautical miles from the runway 5 threshold about 950 feet to the right of the center of the runway 5 localizer course. Examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction with the airframe or engines. A co-worker of the pilot reported the flight initially departed Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a business flight that morning. The pilot flew the airplane to Lawrenceville, Georgia, then to Lexington, Kentucky, and then to Evansville, Indiana. The pilot dropped off his last passenger in Evansville, Indiana, and elected to return to Spartanburg, South Carolina. A family member stated the pilot had a cold and "had the sniffles." A co-worker of the pilot stated he noticed the pilot seemed to have a cold two days prior to the accident, and he stated the pilot "seemed fine" the day of the accident. Forensic toxicology revealed 0.008 ug/ml, ug/g brompheniramine was detected in the blood, and brompheniramine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine were detected in the urine. Title 14 CFR Part 91.17, Alcohol or Drugs, states, "(a) No person may act ... as a crewmember of a civil aircraft ... (3) While using any drug that affects the person's faculties in a way contrary to safety ...."
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,921 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,948 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 2003; 170 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KEVV Evansville IN at 1:00 am
- Destination: KSPA Spartanburg SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 5,202 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:01 am from KSPA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.