Piper PA-28-161 accident near Norris, Tennessee, February 6, 1990
On February 6, 1990 at about 8:12 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4338U, was destroyed in an accident near Norris, Tennessee. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S MISJUDGED DESCENT WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH TREES AND THE GROUND. A FACTOR WAS THAT THE PILOT WAS BUZZING WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 1990 · about 8:12 pm local time
- Place
- Norris, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4338U · no longer on the register · serial 28-8416079
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT THE STUDENT PLANNED AND FLEW HIS 1ST CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. DURING THE PLANNING HE ASKED HIS INSTRUCTOR IF HE COULD FLY TO THE TOWN WHERE HIS PARENTS LIVED. HE WAS TOLD NO & ASSIGNED AN AIRPORT TO FLY TO, MAKE ONE LANDING, AND RETURN. AFTER COMPLETING THE LANDING AT HIS ASSIGNED DESTINATION, THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN SEEN OVER HIS PARENT'S HOUSE ABOUT 34 NMI WEST OF THE AIRPORT. IT WAS 23 NMI NORTH OF HIS HOME AIRPORT. WITNESSES BRIEFLY SAW THE AIRPLANE, IN A DESCENT, JUST BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH TREES. IT THEN ROLLED AND DOVE INTO THE GROUND ONTO A WOODED LOT NEXT TO HIS PARENT'S HOUSE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE.
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: student
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,963 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 1989; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,447 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TYS Alcoa TN at 7:26 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:37 pm from TYS, 20 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.