# Accident 19781108042149A: Piper PA32300, Melfa, VA, November 8, 1978

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 8, 1978
- Place: Melfa, VA
- Airport: Summerville
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Location: 37.6490° N, 75.7407° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Melfa, VA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6490&lon=-75.7407&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1104X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1104X-1980-07-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32-300 (registry code 7103212, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32300
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 500 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD79FA010](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD79FA010) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19781108042149A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

RECOVERY DATE 11/13/78.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD79FA010](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD79FA010), Nov 8, 1978: Piper PA-32 (N1104X), Melfa, VA, destroyed, 4 fatal

## Other reports on N1104X (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19780326004689A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19780326004689A), Mar 26, 1978: Piper PA32300 (N1104X), Summerville, SC, Substantial damage. A/c struck tel pole stub with rt main mount on ramp.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
