Piper PA-34-200T accident near Roanoke, Virginia, March 27, 1983
On March 27, 1983 at about 4:54 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N5885V, was destroyed in an accident near Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke Muni. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 27, 1983 · about 4:54 pm local time
- Place
- Roanoke, Virginia · Roanoke Muni. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N5885V · no longer on the register · serial 7770267
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A X-COUNTRY FROM BUFFALO, NY TO NEW PORT RICHEY, FL. THE PLT MADE AN EN ROUTE STOP AT PAINSVILLE, OH, THEN PROCEEDED TOWARD GREENSBORO, NC. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE ELECTED TO LAND AT ROANOKE, VA BECAUSE HIS FUEL WOULD BE LOW IF HE CONTINUED TO GREENSBORO. AT ROANOKE, THE PLT BEGAN THE LDA APPROACH TO RWY 05. THE WEATHER WAS REPORTED, IN PART, AS: 200 FT BROKEN, 400 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 2 MI WITH LIGHT RAIN & FOG. THE MINIMUMS FOR THE PRECISION APPROACH WAS 400 FT CEILING & 1 MI VISIBILITY. AT 1152:37, THE PLT HAD BEGUN A MISSED APPROACH. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, HE WAS ADVISED HE WAS FLYING TOWARD HIGH TERRAIN & WAS PROVIDED VECTORS. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE RADAR CONTROLLER NOTED THAT THE ACFT DESCENDED FROM 2800 TO 1800 FT, THEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT MANEUVERING AT 75 TO 100 FT AGL, JUST BEFORE IT IMPACTED A TREE & A TV TRANSMISSION LINE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. AN ESTIMATION OF FUEL COMPUTATION INDICATED ONLY ABOUT 23 GAL WOULD BE REMAINING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,036 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,555 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 1, 1982; 119 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Painesville OH at 11:30 am
- Destination: ROA Roanoke VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 5,904 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from ROA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.