Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Concord, North Carolina, March 30, 2001
On March 30, 2001 at about 11:06 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N42Y, was destroyed in an accident near Concord, North Carolina. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2001 · about 11:06 am local time
- Place
- Concord, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N42Y · no longer on the register · serial 32R7885239
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained a weather briefing from an FAA Automated Flight Service Station for his IFR flight from Lincolnton, North Carolina, to Concord, North Carolina. The pilot was informed that the weather at Lincolnton was one hundred overcast, a quarter of a mile visibility, and winds were calm. He was also informed that no weather was available at Concord, and that the ILS and DME was unmonitored. The pilot was asked if he had the notams and he replied "yeah". The pilot did not list an alternate airport, and an alternate was required due to existing weather conditions. Another company pilot called the office and informed the pilot that he was canceling his flight due to weather. The accident pilot informed him that aware of the glide slope being out of service and that he would probably delay his flight. The pilot departed Lincolnton and established radio contact with approach control. The pilot was informed that the glide slope was out of service and that the ILS/DME was unmonitored. The pilot was provided radar vectors and subsequently cleared for the ILS approach. The pilot was provided a frequency change and to report canceling IFR on the ground or on this frequency. A witness who lives in the vicinity of the airport stated she heard an airplane approaching her location. She heard a pop sound and looked out the window and observed the power line shaking. The fog was half way up the trees. She awakened her son and went to investigate. He returned a short time later and stated he observed a crashed airplane. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, and engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or 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: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,917 hours in all; 298 in this make and model; 271 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 5,723 as pilot in command; 3,899 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 16, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,904 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 2001; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IPJ Lincolnton NC at 10:48 am
- Destination: JQF Concord
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 11:01 am from JQF
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.
Other NTSB records under N42Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.