Piper PA28 accident near Sommerville, Tennessee, December 2, 2014
On December 2, 2014 at about 1:30 am local time, a 1963 Piper PA28, registered N8607W, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Sommerville, Tennessee (Fayette County Airport). 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 noninstrument-rated pilot's improper decision to attempt visual flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impaired decision-making due to the effects of ethanol and chlordiazepoxide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2014 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Sommerville, Tennessee · Fayette County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 235, built 1963 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N8607W · no longer on the register · serial 28-10122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a family member, the noninstrument-rated private pilot was planning to refuel the airplane on the evening of the accident. After purchasing fuel, he subsequently departed in night instrument meteorological conditions, which included low clouds and mist. A witness heard the airplane flying overhead and then sounds associated with increased engine power, followed by a loud crash. The airplane impacted a heavily wooded area about 0.75 mile from the departure airport and was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions can lead to spatial disorientation, particularly for a noninstrument-rated pilot. In addition, the wreckage distribution and the witness observation of increasing engine noise and the wreckage are consistent with the pilot losing control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. The pilot's toxicology results identified ethanol at 0.109% in muscle tissue and 0.039% in brain tissue. Although some of the ethanol may have been produced postmortem, it is likely that some was ingested before the accident. In addition, chlordiazepoxide (a prescription medication for the treatment of anxiety) and its metabolite, nordiazepam, were detected in the liver. It is likely the combined effects of chlordiazepoxide and ethanol significantly impaired the pilot's executive functioning, judgment, and decision-making, leading to his decision to fly in weather that he was unprepared to manage.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during takeoff defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Drizzle/mist › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Prescription medication › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 505 hours in all; 505 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2013; 2,958 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-540 SERIES (piston); 2,646 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FYE Sommerville TN at 1:15 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.