Piper PA-22-150 accident near Liberty, North Carolina, April 9, 1983
On April 9, 1983, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3918P, was destroyed in an accident near Liberty, North Carolina (Causey airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries. 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
- April 9, 1983
- Place
- Liberty, North Carolina · Causey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3918P · no longer on the register · serial 22-3588
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING TAKEOFF CLIMB AND CRASHED TO THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE 4 OCCUPANTS RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A 10 MINUTE NIGHT FLIGHT IN DARK OVERCAST CONDITIONS. THE PILOT LOWERED THE ACFT NOSE AFTER TAKEOFF TO INCREASE THE 75 KT. AIRSPEED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ACFT WAS CLIPPING TREES ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CONTACTED THE GROUND AND NOSED OVER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,524 hours in all; 2,333 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 2,359 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,707 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: NC01 Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.