- Date
- October 31, 1991, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Wardsboro, VT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8855JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911031048329A
- Case key
- 11710
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 flight into known adverse weather. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate flight and weather planning.
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 pilot was flying his aircraft VFR to a nearby mountain top airport to store it for the winter. As he progressed to his destination through the mountain valleys, the clouds were much closer to the ground. While maneuvering to find his way, he collided with a mountain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8855J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2819
- Airframe hours
- 2,903
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stuart P. Dauchy
- Registered owner
- Stuart P. Dauchy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 21, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- Jamaica, VT
- Destination
- 4V8 · Mt Snow, VT
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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RUT, 37 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.