- Date
- October 10, 2009, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lebanon, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N43620Piper PA28
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091010050839A
- Case key
- 74900
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 decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into known deteriorating weather conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet when he encountered low clouds and fog. He lost visual contact with the ground and initiated a climbing left turn. Seconds later, he impacted rising terrain which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and the empennage. Prior to the flight, the pilot obtained a weather briefing from a flight service station that forecasted overcast ceilings at 3,000 feet and 10 miles visibility near the route of flight with conditions improving throughout the day. The pilot stated that the weather at the time of the accident was approximately 5 miles visibility, with an overcast ceiling at 3,000 feet.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet when he encountered low clouds and fog. He lost visual contact with the ground and initiated a climbing left turn. Seconds later, he impacted rising terrain which resulted in substantial damaged to the wings, fuselage, and the empennage. Prior to the flight, the pilot obtained a weather briefing from a flight service station that forecasted overcast ceilings at 3,000 feet and 10 miles visibility near the route of flight with conditions improving throughout the day. The pilot stated the weather at the time of the accident was approximately 5 miles visibility, with an overcast ceiling at 3,000 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43620
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (151)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7415539
- Airframe hours
- 4,727
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 2009 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- LUK · Cincinnati, OH
- Destination
- 8A7 · Mocksville, NC
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
- 60
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 11, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 277 total · 125 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- VJI, 24 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 753 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.