- Date
- August 16, 2015, 09:06 local (13:06 UTC)
- Place
- Bristow, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N82587Piper PA 28-161
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150816016139A
- Case key
- 91792
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during approach, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the student’s distraction due to other traffic in the airport traffic pattern.
Findings · 4
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 student pilot was conducting a solo flight and stated that, while on approach for landing, she had just reduced engine power when the tower controller asked her to extend the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern due to other traffic. She subsequently became distracted looking for the other traffic and did not increase engine power to maintain altitude. The controller then instructed her to turn onto the base leg and she complied; however, the airplane continued to descend and collided with trees before coming to rest upright on the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the student pilot report any.
Factual narrative
On August 16, 2015, at 0906 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N82587, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain in Bristow, Virginia. The student pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local solo instructional flight was operating in the airport traffic pattern at Manassas Regional Airport (HEF), Manassas, Virginia and was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the student pilot stated that she had just reduced engine power and air traffic control asked her to extend the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern due to other traffic. She became distracted looking for the other traffic and did not increase engine power to maintain altitude. Air traffic control then instructed her to turn base leg of the airport traffic pattern and she complied; however, the airplane continued to descend and collided with trees, before coming to rest upright on the ground. Examination of the wreckage by the FAA inspector did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the student pilot report any. The inspector noted damage to both wings and the fuselage. The recorded weather at HEF, at 0855, included wind from 180 at 3 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, sky clear, temperature 25 degrees C, dew point 20 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.17 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82587
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-161 (161)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8116026
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 15,180
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Dulles Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Dulles Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 31, 2015
- Departed
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Destination
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Airport
- HEF · Manassas Regional Airport, runway 16R, 3,715 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 59 total · 59 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- HEF, 2 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 19, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB 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.
Other investigations on N82587 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.