Piper PA-28-140 accident near Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, June 18, 1983
On June 18, 1983 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N6575W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bruceton Mills, West Virginia (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- June 18, 1983 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bruceton Mills, West Virginia · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6575W · registry record · serial 28-20656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF FROM A SHORT SOD PRIVATE STRIP. THE PRIVATELY OWNED GRASS STRIP IS APPROX. 800 FEET LONG WITH A 5 DEG UPGRADE FROM THE MIDWAY POINT. THE PILOT SAID HE REALIZED HE COULD NOT CLIMBFAST ENOUGH SO HE REDUCED POWER AND SETTLED TO THE END OF THE STRIP. HE STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP DUE TO WET GRASS AND THE ACFT KNOCKED DOWN 4 FENCE POSTS AND A CLOTHESLINE POST ALONG WITH 50 FEET OF 4 FOOT HIGH WIRE FENCE.
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
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1981; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°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.
Other NTSB records under N6575W 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.