- Date
- August 28, 1990, 02:03 local (06:03 UTC)
- Place
- Richland, VA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N885MAPiper PA-28R-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900828037049A
- Case key
- 11555
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 inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and failure to maintain proper clearance from high terrain. Darkness and the adverse weather conditions were related factors.
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 non-instrument rated pilot was on a night, VFR, return flight, when the airplane struck high terrain about 1.5 mile from the destination airport and about 500 feet above the airport elevation. A witness, who saw the flight depart the airport VFR about three hours earlier, reported the weather at the airport was foggy with zero visibility at about the time of the accident. The same witness stated the fog began to occur at the airport about 45 minutes after the earlier departure. The witness also reported the runway lights were on, but the airport rotating beacon was not operating. The pilot had received radar vectors to the airport. He requested and was given confirmation from the air traffic controller that he was over the airport. An examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction. About 25 miles east-northeast at bluefield, WV, the weather was in part: 100' obscuration, visibility 1/16 mile with fog, wind calm
Aircraft
- Registration
- N885MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-30234
- Airframe hours
- 2,608
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marx Aviation
- Registered owner
- Marx Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 1989 · 180 hours before
- Departed
- HKY · Hickory, NC
- Destination
- 7A4 · Richlands, VA
- Airport
- 7A4 · Richlands Municipal
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 126 total · 10 in this make and model · 71 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BLF, 25 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.