# Accident 19951030034989A: Piper PA28180, Wytheville, VA, October 30, 1995

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 30, 1995
- Place: Wytheville, VA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Location: 36.8902° N, 82.0700° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.8902&lon=-82.0700&mi=10
- Aircraft: N477SP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N477SP-1998-06-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB BFO96LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO96LA015) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19951030034989A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED ENGINE VIBRATIONS AND CRASHED IN A PASTURE. BURNED. (.19) HISTORY OF FLIGHT ON OCTOBER 30, 1995, AT 1830 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-28-180, N477SP, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING NEAR LEBANON, VIRGINIA.  THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS UNINJURED.  THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED.  NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED AND NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC) PREVAILED.  THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS AIRPORT, ABINGDON, VIRGINIA, AT APPROXIMATELY 1820 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, WITH AN INTENDED DESTINATION OF TAZEWELL COUNTY AIRPORT, RICHLANDS, VIRGINIA.  THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD JUST LEVELED THE AIRPLANE OFF AT FIVE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FEET WHEN THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE VIBRATIONS.  THE AIRPLANE'S ALTITUDE WAS OCILLATING IN PITCH AND YAW TO SUCH AN EXTREME THAT THE PILOT DECIDED TO SHUT THE ENGINE OFF.  UNDER NIGHT VMC CONDITIONS, THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO DETECT THE HEADLIGHTS OF VEHICLES BELOW.  WITH NO LANDING LIGHT AVAILABLE, THE PILOT FOUND A PASTURE TO MAKE THE EMERGENCY LANDING.  UPON LANDING, THE NOSE AND LEFT MAIN GEAR WERE SHEARED OFF AND T  HE POSTIMPACT FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE.

## 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 BFO96LA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO96LA015), Oct 30, 1995: Piper PA-28-180 (N477SP), Lebanon, VA, destroyed. Probable cause: failure of the propeller blade due to fatigue cracking originating from corrosion damage. A related factor was the soft terrain encountered during the forced landing.

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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