- Date
- April 20, 1987, 20:47 local (Apr 21, 1987, 00:47 UTC)
- Place
- Salisbury, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5821PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11284
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
On a flt from hilton head, SC to woodstown, NJ, the plt enctrd headwinds & diverted to Salisbury, MD, a less distant arpt. Drg arrival at 1944, he was provided wx info concerning a low ceiling & visibility. At 1955, he was instructed to hold upon reaching a clnc limit & was adzd to expect further clnc at 2030. The plt had difficulty getting establishedon the VOR rwy 5 apch & was vectored on final apch. At 2046:53, about 2 min after being established on the apch, the plt stated the acft ran out of fuel & declared an emerg. Drg an emerg landing, about 5 mi sw of the arpt, the acft crashed on wooded terrain after being airborne aprx 4.3 hrs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5821P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24902
- Airframe hours
- 2,216
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1C5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Collin
- Registered owner
- David Collins
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 1986 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- 49J · Hilton Head, SC
- Destination
- SBY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SBY · Salisbury-Wicomico County, runway 5, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 359 total · 89 in this make and model · 274 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 4 nm away