- Date
- November 23, 1990, 18:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Cheswold, DE
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7400JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901123051829A
- Case key
- 36848
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
A loss of control in flight, by a non-instrument rated pilot in instrument meteorological conditions. Factors related to the accident were: his decision to fly after he received weather briefings which inlcuded 'VFR flight not recommended'.
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 non instrument rated private pilot took off with two passengers at night in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane was found approx 27 hours later. The airplane had departed runway 27 and then contacted trees located 600 ft off the departure end of the runway on a heading of 215 degrees. The debris was scattered along a heading of 285 degrees for 145 feet. No evidence of a preexisting failure or malfunction was found with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7400J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24763
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Farmer, Mathew
- Departed
- N33
- Destination
- 2WB · Mt Marys, MD
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 207 total · 77 in this make and model · 161 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.60 inHg
- Observed at
- DOV, 8 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.