Piper PA-28-161 accident near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, May 25, 2000
On May 25, 2000 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N47561, was destroyed in an accident near Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Horace Williams airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the CFI to delay his landing until the approaching line of thunderstorms passed, causing the flight to encounter severely gusting wind conditions resulting in the loss of altitude control and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2000 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina · Horace Williams · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N47561 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7816097
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the CFI, he and the student obtained their preflight weather briefing via the flight school's computer/CIRRUS WX software, and were advised that present weather was good but be alert to afternoon thunderstorms. At about the same time they departed, the local AFSS was advising subsequent flights, 'A line of thunderstorms was approaching from the west much more quickly than anticipated', and to reconsider flying at that time. The accident flight completed their first leg successfully, but encountered unexpectedly strong winds on their return leg's approach for landing. Despite the CFI's assuming control of the airplane, altitude and heading control was lost when encountering severely gusting winds and the flight collided with the terrain short of the intended landing point.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,708 hours in all; 534 in this make and model; 167 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command; 829 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,245 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2000; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,440 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RDU Raleigh-Durham NC at 2:15 pm
- Destination: IGX Chapel Hill NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,005 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 21 knots, gusting 39
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:37 pm from IGX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.