Piper PA-38-112 accident near Gainesville, Georgia, February 17, 1988
On February 17, 1988 at about 2:20 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N9265T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gainesville, Georgia (Lee Gilmer Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1988 · about 2:20 am local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Gainesville, Georgia · Lee Gilmer Memorial · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N9265T · registry record · serial PA-38-112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPTD THAT HE INADVERTENTLY ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO DESCEND BELOW THE VASI GLIDEPATH WHILE ON SHORT-FINAL, AND THAT HE FAILED TO REACT IN TIME TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED AN EMBANKMENT SHORT OF THE RWY THRESHOLD, IN A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE. THE PLT INDICATED THAT HE HAD 'FIXATED' ON THE RWY THRESHOLD LIGHTS DURING THE NIGHTTIME APPCH, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE TO DETECT THE DESCENT BELOW THE GLIDEPATH.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 327 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 298 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,993 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1987; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Old South Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA
- Destination: GVL Gainesville GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9265T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 442 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lee Gilmer Memorial · nearest airport
- Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,804 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA091.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.