Piper PA-18 accident near Ft. Pickett, Virginia, August 21, 1982
On August 21, 1982 at about 1:27 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N90910, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Pickett, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 21, 1982 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Ft. Pickett, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N90910 · no longer on the register · serial 18-8109046
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AT FT PICKETT SHORTLY AFTER A SIMILIAR ACFT WAS SEEN TRYING TO APPROACH BLACKSTONE ARMY AIRFIELD. THIS ACFT MADE A GO-AROUND AND DISAPPEARED TO THE SOUTH. THE WRECKED ACFT WAS FOUND 3.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARPT 8 MONTHS LATER. THE AIRCRAFT HAD HIT LEFT WING FIRST AND BOUNCED ABOUT 80 FT TO A FINAL RESTING PLACE WITH THE RIGHT WING FOLDED OVER THE LEFT. THE FLAMMABLE PARTS OF THE WRECKAGE WERE CONSUMED IN A POST ACCIDENT FIRE. THE ONLY COCKPIT INSTRUMENT READABLE WAS THE VSI WHICH SHOWED MORE THAN 2000 FT/MINUTE DESCENT. THIS ACFT WAS FROM MANASSAS AND HAD LANDED AT CHESTERFIELD FOR FUEL. ITS DESTINATION WAS FREDERICKSBURG WHICH IS ABOUT 55 MILES NORTH OF CHESTERFIELD. AFTER DEPARTURE AT 1935 HOURS EDT IT DISAPPEARED, AND WAS NEXT OBSERVED AT BLACKSTONE, 25 NM SW OF CHESTERFIELD, AT 2110HOURS. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE AND THE PILOTS REMAINS DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY ABNORMALITIES WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUSAL IN NATURE.
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
- Flight time: 1,764 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Chesterfield VA at 7:35 pm
- Destination: Fredericksburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.