- Date
- April 20, 1992, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Missing
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N4319NPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920420014189A
- Case key
- 32996
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
Undetermined.
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 plt & acft were seen on 4/19/92 at the inverness arpt, inverness, Florida, at 1300 EDT. The airplane was not located during a ramp search the following morning at 0900. The acft was not seen departing. The plt was reported Missing the morning of the 20th by his secretary. A search was initiated the following day by the cap but called off 3 days later by the air force rescue coordination center (afrcc) located in Illinois, due to possible criminal involvement. The plt advised his father that a contract was out to kill him. He also had been threatened. The Missing plt worked for a collection agency which was in the process of merging with another firm. He advised his father he was concerned about the reputation of the firm & was considering backing out of the deal. The acft was not recovered & is presumed to be destroyed. The plt is presumed to be fatally injured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4319N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8490009
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Whitehurst, David E.
- Registered owner
- Rolls Axle Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- X40 · Inverness, FL
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 41 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Not reported
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.