Piper PA-32-260 accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, August 5, 1982
On August 5, 1982 at about 3:49 am local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N4076W, was destroyed in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh Durham Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1982 · about 3:49 am local time
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina · Raleigh Durham Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4076W · registry record · serial 3240117
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT CAUGHT FIRE. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO TURN BACK TO THE ARPT BUT THE ENG LOST POWER & THE ACFTCOULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A HEAVILY WOODED STATE PARK. THE #5 CYLINDER EXHAUST PIPE WAS FOUND SEPARATED & WAS NOT BURNED OR SOOTED. EXTENSIVE MELTING WAS EVIDENT AROUND THE INTAKE & EXHAUST PORTS ON THE #5 CYLINDER. THE HEAD OF THE #5 CYLINDER WAS COMPLETELY BURNED THROUGH. THE ACFT HAD COMPLETED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION 30 HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT & RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE EXHAUST SYSTEM GASKETS HAD BEEN REPLACED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION WITH A SCANNING ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPE SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF NUT-TIGHTENING MARKS ON THE FAILED EXHAUST PIPE FLANGE WHILE DISTINCT NUT-TIGHTENING MARKS WERE OBSERVED ON TWO EXHAUST PIPES THAT REMAINED ATTACHED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,928 hours in all; 510 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 1,928 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 412 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RDU Raleigh NC at 11:46 pm
- Destination: C Richmond VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 4,498 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.