- Date
- April 7, 1989, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond, VA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N766RWPiper PA-32-260B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890407006789A
- Case key
- 11457
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Engine lost power because of induction icing. Contributing factors are conditions conduvice to induction icing and unsuitable terrain.
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 flight was en route at 8000 ft when the engine lost power. The plt was instrument rated, but the non-instrument rated coplt was flying the acft. According to the plt, he unsuccessfully tried to restart the engine. He said he did not use carburetor heat. A forced landing into an open field was attempted. However, the acft struck trees in a wooded area adjacent to the field. The investigation revealed no evidence of malfunctions. The engine was test run and it operated satisfactory. The investigation revealed weather conditions were conducive to induction icing. Another plt flying in the area at the time of the accident reported encountering icing conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N766RW
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-1159
- Airframe hours
- 2,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James C. Wilson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 1988 · 126 hours before
- Departed
- MD31 · Forest Hill, MD
- Destination
- FLO · Florence, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 490 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RIC, 2 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.