- Date
- November 8, 1978
- Place
- Melfa, VA · MELFA, VA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N1104XPiper PA-32
- Status
- Completed · report February 1, 1979
- Report
- Brief approved by the director
- FAA report
- 19781108042149A
- Case key
- 138415
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
NTSB brief
NTSB’s brief of the accident, as it was printed: the coded facts, with the probable cause and factors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA F S M/N PURPOSE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-3911 78/11/8 MELFA,VA PIPER PA-32 CR- 1 0 0 NONCOMMERCIAL PRIVATE, AGE 38, 500 TIME - 1520 N1104X PX- 3 0 0 PLEASURE/PERSONAL TRANSP TOTAL HOURS, 250 IN TYPE, DAMAGE-DESTROYED OT- 0 0 0 NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. DEPARTURE POINT INTENDED DESTINATION MYRTLE BEACH,SC DOVER,DE TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION AIRFRAME FAILURE: IN FLIGHT IN FLIGHT: UNCONTROLLED DESCENT PROBABLE CAUSE(S) PILOT IN COMMAND - ATTEMPTED OPERATION BEYOND EXPERIENCE/ABILITY LEVEL PILOT IN COMMAND - CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS PILOT IN COMMAND - SPATIAL DISORIENTATION PILOT IN COMMAND - EXCEEDED DESIGNED STRESS LIMITS OF AIRCRAFT FACTOR(S) MISCELLANEOUS ACTS,CONDITIONS - SEPARATION IN FLIGHT WEATHER - LOW CEILING WEATHER BRIEFING - BRIEFED BY FLIGHT SERVICE PERSONNEL, IN PERSON WEATHER FORECAST - FORECAST SUBSTANTIALLY CORRECT MISSING AIRCRAFT - LATER RECOVERED EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCES - ADVERSE/UNFAVORABLE WEATHER SKY CONDITION CEILING AT ACCIDENT SITE OVERCAST/LOWER SCATTERED 1200 VISIBILITY AT ACCIDENT SITE PRECIPITATION AT ACCIDENT SITE 3 MILES OR LESS RAIN OBSTRUCTIONS TO VISION AT ACCIDENT SITE TYPE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS FOG IFR TYPE OF FLIGHT PLAN NONE REMARKS- RECOVERY DATE 11/13/78.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1104X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
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.
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 N1104X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.