- Date
- April 7, 1989, 10:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Stuarts Draft, VA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N44510Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890407045359A
- Case key
- 11474
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
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance above the terrain after flying VFR into IMC. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling and fog conditions and the mountainous 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 acft departed for the x-country and failed to arrive at its destination. It was reported missing on 4-19-89. Search efforts failed to locate the acft. The acft was located on 11-14-89 by a local hunter. The acft collided with terrain at the 3,000 ft level near the top of a mountain. Weather along the route of flt and near the accident site was forecast to have been marginal VFR to IFR. The closest reporting station reported ceilings near the elevation of the accident site. No mechanical failure/malfunction of the acft or engine was noted during the investigation. Although the fuel tanks were ruptured, the acft had been refueled prior to its departure and should have had sufficient fuel to continue past the accident location.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44510
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7405250
- Airframe hours
- 2,434
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Melvin M. Bloom
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1989
- Departed
- 2G6 · Meadville, PA
- Destination
- ORL · Orlando, FL
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,850 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 2,670 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F
- Observed at
- SHD, 15 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.