- Date
- March 11, 1983, 02:58 local (07:58 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Belvoir, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N120AEPiper PA-31-350-T1020
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 15779
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
On a flt from newark, NJ to richmond, VA, the departure time was delayed, and subsequently, the acft did not arrive at richmond until after the refueling facilities were closed. The plt decided there was sufficient fuel aboard to complete the next flt to the Washington national arpt, so he departed on that flt. However, about 21 mi from his destination, he declared a low-fuel state & requested vectors to the nearest arpt. Vectors were provided toward davidson army airfield. However, both engs subsequently lost power from lack of fuel & the acft crashed in a wooded area aprx 500 yds short of rwy 32.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N120AE
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350-T1020 (PA-31-350-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8253006
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Asrec Air East,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RIC · Richmond, VA
- Destination
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- Davidson Army Airfield, runway 32
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,675 total · 120 in this make and model · 250 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- DCA, 8 nm away