- Date
- April 22, 1990, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ona, WV
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5886UPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900422010409A
- Case key
- 11544
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 improperly set stabilator trim and the improperly loaded aircraft.
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
Witnesses observed the aircraft liftoff the runway at a slower than normal speed and fail to gain altitude. The aircraft just cleared a ridgeline off the end of the runway in a nose high attitude, rolled to the left and collided with trees. Exam of the wreckage revealed the stabilator trim set in a nose high setting. Computation of the wt and balance indicated an overweight aircraft with an aft center of gravity condition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5886U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-26743
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William Coleman Thompson, III
- Registered owner
- William C & Karen K Thompson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 10, 1989
- Destination
- MTN · Baltimore, MD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 12V · Ona, runway 25, 3,160 × 40 ft
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 840 total · 757 in this make and model · 763 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HTS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.