Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Bethel, North Carolina, January 14, 2001
On January 14, 2001 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N3996T, was destroyed in an accident near Bethel, North Carolina (Greenville/Pitt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an in-flight collision with power lines and the subsequent impact with terrain. A factor in this accident was: the pilot's lack of recent instrument flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2001 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, North Carolina · Greenville/Pitt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3996T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30351
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight proceeded VFR, without a flight plan, until a location about 40 miles southwest of the destination airport. Due to weather at the destination, the pilot filed and was given an IFR clearance. He was cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, proceed to the initial approach fix for the ILS runway 20 approach, and subsequently cleared for the approach, via the published procedure turn. The minimum altitude for the procedure turn was 1,600 feet. According to the controller's statement, he requested an altitude report from the pilot, and had to advise him his "assigned altitude was 3,000…..he was at various altitudes from 2,000 to 2,700." The last radar plot at 1823:47, showed the flight was at 2,100 feet, still in the procedure turn, when radar and radio communications were lost. The airplane struck wires about 35 feet above the ground, about 11.5 miles north of the airport. The pilot had accumulated a total of 4,015 total flight hours, all in single engine aircraft, and 137 hours in this make and model aircraft. In addition, the logbooks showed that he had 324 total night flight hours, 135 simulated instrument flight hours, and 105 actual instrument flight hours. The pilot had logged a total of 10.6 instrument flight hours for the entire years of 1999 and 2000. July 12, 2000, was the last entry that showed .4 of an hour instrument flight time. Examination of the engine, propeller, and the vacuum pump revealed no discrepancies. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness, and the reported weather at about the time of the accident was; 300 overcast, visibility 1 sm light rain, winds calm, temperature 55 degrees F, dew point 54 degrees F, and the altimeter was 30.19 inches Hg. Toxicological tests revealed that Chlorpheniramine was found in the urine and blood at levels consistent with a normal single dose of the medication within approximately the previous 24 hours. Chlorpheniramine use can result in drowsiness, and has measurable effects on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks (e.g. flying an aircraft). It may also interfere with the normal function of the inner ear, potentially increasing susceptibility to spatial disorientation.
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: 4,015 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 3,976 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,703.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 2000; 118.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TMA Tifton GA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PVG
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 20, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from PVG, 4 miles away
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.
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.