- Date
- February 14, 1990, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tappahannock, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8521WPiper PA-28-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900214002219A
- Case key
- 11579
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
Failure of fixed base operator (FBO) personnel to assure that the fuel tank was free of water, and failure of the pilot to insure that the aircraft was properly preflighted. Soft/marshy terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.
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
Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power. The CFI took control of the aircraft and made a forced landing on marshy terrain. The aircraft subsequently nosed over during the landing roll. Water was found in the carburetor and about 5 gallons of water was found in the fuel tank that the aircraft had been refueled from. The engine was run successfully after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8521W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-10022
- Airframe hours
- 2,682
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles S. Whaley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1989 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- W79 · Tappahannock, VA
- Airport
- W79 · Tappahannock Muni, runway 20, 2,875 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 100 in this make and model · 7,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 18 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RIC, 33 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.
Other investigations on N8521W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.