Piper PA-28-140 accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, August 3, 2002
On August 3, 2002 at about 9:16 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N7362J, was destroyed in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina (Spartanburg Downtown Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the takeoff initial climb which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with an embankment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2002 · about 9:16 pm local time
- Place
- Spartanburg, South Carolina · Spartanburg Downtown Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N7362J · no longer on the register · serial 28-24715
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane approached the departure end of runway 5, the pilot initiated a right climbing turn. According to witnesses the aircraft did not seem to gain altitude or airspeed. The airplane was next seen in a descending right turn and subsequently collided with the ground and burst into flames. The airplane came to rest on an approximate 45 degree embankment that was covered in brush and tall grass. The wreckage debris was scattered over an area 75 feet long by 75 feet wide. All major airframe and engine components were examined and with no evidence of pre-impact airframe or engine anomalies were found.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 414 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,269 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2001; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SPA Spartanburg SC at 9:14 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,202 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from GSP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.