- Date
- April 17, 1987, 20:18 local (Apr 18, 1987, 00:18 UTC)
- Place
- York, PA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7987WPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870417083369A
- Case key
- 30496
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
The Piper PA-28-180 was making an NDB instrument approach under instrument meteorological conditions at night. The pilot manuevered the aircraft over the airport several times in an apparent attempt to acquire visual contact with the runway, lost control of the aircraft and impacted level terrain next to the runway. The pilot failed to follow the instrument approach procedure. A few minutes after the noise of the aircraft was no longer heard, the wreckage was found at the edge of the airport. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by a high speed impact. The aircraft was based at the airport where the accident occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7987W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2044
- Airframe hours
- 1,878
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bruce E.Johnson
- Registered owner
- Bruce E. Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 5, 1986 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- CRW · Charleston, WV
- Destination
- THV · York, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- THV · York-Thomasville, runway 16, 4,190 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 497 in this make and model · 460 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Observed at
- CXY, 20 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.