- Date
- July 17, 1983, 11:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Asheville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N55703Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830717033009A
- Case key
- 6129
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt departed on a x-country flt without obtaining a wx briefing. He indicated that during the flt, he was flying over a broken sky condition & reported that the VOR went bad. After flying about 5 hrs, he became unsure of his location. With the fuel running low, the plt elected to land on an interstate highway. The acft was spaced about 300 ft behind a tractor trailer truck for a precautionary landing. However, during the landing roll, the plt lost control & the acft went off the right side of the highway & nosed over. The plt believed that he had encountered wake turbulence behind the truck. The plt was not instrument rated & reported only 1.5 hrs of instrument time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55703
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325462
- Airframe hours
- 2,090
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-L2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Derwitt W. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 1983 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- 8W2 · New Market, VA
- Destination
- HDI · Cleveland, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 864 total · 46 in this make and model · 46 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.