# Accident 20150329004239A: Piper PA-28-140, Orange, VA, March 29, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 29, 2015, 09:44 local time
- Place: Orange, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2514° N, 78.0372° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2514&lon=-78.0372&mi=10
- Aircraft: N32396, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N32396-2018-09-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 30 total, 18 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15FA170](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA170) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150329004239A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 1300 FEET NORTHEAST OF THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 08. GROUND IMPACT SCARS AND AIRCRAFT DAMAGE INDICATE A HIGH ANGLE, LOW VELOCITY IMPACT.

STUDENT PILOT WAS TAKING OFF FOR FIRST SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. AIRPORT SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWED THAT AFTER TAKE OFF, THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED TO LEVEL OFF, AND THEN BANK LEFT BEFORE PULLING UP AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY CRASH.

TWO WITNESSES WHO HOLD PILOT CERTICATES REMARKED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED ABNORMALLY SLOW. THE WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MAKE A SHARP LEFT TURN AND DESCEND STEEPLY TO GROUND CONTACT.  INVESTIGATION ONGOING, REPORT TO BE AMENDED AS NEEDED/REQUIRED

## 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 ERA15FA170](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA170), Mar 29, 2015: Piper PA-28-140 (N32396), Orange, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

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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