Piper PA-28-161 accident near Spring City, Tennessee, January 12, 1995
On January 12, 1995 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N75PF, was destroyed in an accident near Spring City, Tennessee. It was a personal 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 INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING, AND HIS CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHICH RESULTED IN THE COLLISION WITH THE MOUNTAIN. A FACTOR WAS LOW CEILINGS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1995 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Spring City, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N75PF · no longer on the register · serial 28-8116232
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE FLIGHT'S DEPARTURE, THE AIRPLANE HAD NOT ARRIVED AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. BASED UPON RADAR DATA, A SEARCH WAS STARTED IN AN AREA ABOUT 80 MILES SOUTH OF WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND. SEVERAL DAYS LATER THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED AT THE 1500 FOOT LEVEL OF A MOUNTAIN RIDGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED, AFTER AN EYEWITNESS REPORTED A LOW FLYING AIRPLANE NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE WITNESS ALSO REPORTED LOW CEILINGS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MECHANICAL FAILURE OR SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.
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
- Flight time: 287 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,049 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 1,534 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Chamblee GA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 3M7 Lafayette TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from CHA, 35 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.