# Accident 19940415007869A: Piper PA28181, Opelika, AL, April 15, 1994

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 15, 1994, 10:00 local time
- Place: Opelika, AL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.6454° N, 85.3783° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Opelika, AL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6454&lon=-85.3783&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39770, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N39770-2013-09-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 244 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL94FA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL94FA082) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940415007869A

## Narrative

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

HEARD ENGINE WHINING. 172 EXITED CLOUD BASE. PULLED UP AND LOST A WING. VFR PILOT AND SPATIAL DISORTENTAION.

## 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 ATL94FA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL94FA082), Apr 15, 1994: Piper PA-28-181 (N39770), Opelika, AL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS (CLOUDS WITH LOW CEILING), CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT…

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.

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