- Date
- August 12, 1983, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pomona, NJ
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7554PPiper PA-24-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830812040739A
- Case key
- 35021
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
During his wx briefing, the plt was advised of an area of rain showers & scattered thunderstorms along his route of flt, as well as flt precautions for occasional moderate turbulence below 8000 ft which was forcast. He departed norfolk at 1500. At about 1630, the plt reported to ARTCC that 'we're in some heavy turbulence now.' This was the last radio transmission. The acft subsequently was observed spinning & tumbling before impact. The outer panels of both wingshad separated. Moderate to heavy rain showers existed in the vicinity where radar contact was lost. The PIC was seated in the right front seat. The pax/plt seated in the left front seat held a private plt certificate with an airplane single-eng land rating & was not instrument rated. He had received his initial flt instruction from the PIC. The last entry in the pax/plt's log book was 5/2/81.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7554P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2762
- Airframe hours
- 2,741
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lamar Carlton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 1982 · 189 hours before
- Departed
- ORF · Norfolk, VA
- Destination
- PYM · Plymouth, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,526 total · 1,428 in this make and model · 2,395 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACY, 4 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.