# Accident 20230107003699A: Piper PA-28-140, Suffolk, VA, January 7, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 7, 2023, 11:45 local time
- Place: Suffolk, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.6022° N, 76.5981° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.6022&lon=-76.5981&mi=10
- Aircraft: N592FL, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N592FL) (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 O-320
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 102 total, 96 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23FA103](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA103) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230107003699A

## Narrative

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

AIRPLANE WAS APPROACHING SFQ, IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 1,000 FT, ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE THEN DESCENDED RAPIDLY AND IMPACTED TERRAIN. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT SHE WAS A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER IN A CAR AND FIRST OBSERVED HE AIRPLANE IN A NOSEDIVE. AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE TWO SPIRAL TRAILS OF BLACK SMOKE, ABOUT 5 TO 10 FT BEHIND THE AIRPLANE; HOWEVER, SHE DID NOT OBSERVE ANY FIRE FROM THE AIRPLANE.THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED NOSE-DOWN IN A MARSHY FIELD AND NO DEBRIS PATH WAS OBSERVED.  A POSTCRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE MAJORITY OF THE WRECKAGE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE WINGS AND ENGINE.

THE ENGINE WAS BURIED NOSE FIRST IN APPROXIMATELY 3 FT OF MUD.

## 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 ERA23FA103](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA103), Jan 7, 2023: Piper PA28 (N592FL), Suffolk, VA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to fly the airplane without confirming it had been released from maintenance, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power due to loose magnetos. Contributing to the outcome…

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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