Piper PA-31-350 accident near Richmond, Virginia, November 23, 1982
On November 23, 1982, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N3528U, was involved in an accident near Richmond, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 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
- November 23, 1982
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N3528U · no longer on the register · serial 31-7952147
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD AN ENGINE FIRE A SHORT TIME AFTER TAKE-OFF FROM RICHMOND, VA. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DOVE THE AIRCRAFT FROM 6000 FEET TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. SINCE THE FIRE WENT OUT THE PLAN TO LAND AT PETERSBURG WAS CHANGED TO RICHMOND BECAUSE OF CRASH EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. THE FIRE STARTED WHEN #5 CYLINDER SEPARATED AND RUPTURED A FUEL LINE. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT RICHMOND WITH NO FURTHER DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,220 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,606 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mid South Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RIC Richmond VA at 6:24 pm
- Destination: RDU Raleigh NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3528U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.