Piper PA-28-180 accident near Athens, Georgia, April 22, 1984
On April 22, 1984 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5009T, was destroyed in an accident near Athens, Georgia (Athens Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 1984 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Athens, Georgia · Athens Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5009T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7205238
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE STARTING AN APCH, THE PLT WAS ADVISED THE WX WAS: 300 FT OBSCURED, VISIBILITY 3/4 MI WITH LIGHT RAIN & FOG. THE MINIMUMS FOR A STRAIGHT-IN VOR APCH TO RWY 2 WERE 400 FT MDA & 1 MI VISIBILITY; FOR A CIRCLING APCH, THE MINIMUMS WERE 433 FT & 1 MI. THE PLT TOLD ATLANTA CENTER THAT HE WOULD TRY THE APCH TO ATHENS 1 TIME. HE INITIATED THE APCH TO RWY 2. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT CROSS THE ARPT FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, ENTER LOW CLOUDS, THEN HEARD WHAT THEY INTERPRETED TO BE A RIGHT TURN. THEY THEN SAW THE ACFT DESCENDING IN A RIGHT TURN & DISAPPEAR BEHIND BUILDINGS. IT CRASHED 57 FT EAST OF RWY 2/20. THE SERIOUSLY INJURED PLT COULD NOT RECALL THE ACCIDENT.
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: 424 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,871 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1983; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-H4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 3:27 pm
- Destination: AHN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 18 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:08 pm from AHN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.