Piper PA-32-260 accident near Greenville, North Carolina, August 4, 2003
On August 4, 2003 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N6JH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, North Carolina (Pitt-Greenville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after an aborted landing and subsequent collision with an airport runway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2003 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, North Carolina · Pitt-Greenville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N6JH · no longer on the register · serial 32-712
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, on touchdown the airplane veered right. The pilot applied full engine throttle in an attempt to gain altitude and airspeed. The right wing hit a runway sign to the right of runway 26, and at this point the right wing tank was ruptured. The pilot retarded the throttle and attempted to land in the grass on the other side of intersecting runway 20. The airplane slid across the intersection and the right wing caught fire. The airplane came to rest approximately 1000 feet right of the centerline of runway 20.
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: 400 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 340 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 30, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,484.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 2003; 21.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CPC Whiteville NC at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PGV Greenville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,997 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from PGV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.