Piper PA-24-260 accident near Manassas, Virginia, March 6, 1984
On March 6, 1984 at about 2:56 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9011P, was destroyed in an accident near Manassas, Virginia (Manassas Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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 6, 1984 · about 2:56 am local time
- Place
- Manassas, Virginia · Manassas Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9011P · registry record · serial 24-4472
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON MISSED APPROACH AT NIGHT IN WEATHER CONDITIONS BELOW THE DESTINATION MINIMUMS AFTER APRX 5 HOURS AND 25 MINUTES OF FLIGHT. PERFORMANCE COMPUTATIONS INDICATED THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT OR NEAR THE TIME OF PROJECTED FUEL EXHAUSTION. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION COULD NOT DETERMINE THAT A MALFUNCTION IN THE ALTIMETER OCCURRED BEFORE IMPACT. SEVERAL WITNESSES HEARD THE ENGINE 'CUT-OUT' BEFORE IMPACT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS AFTER AN ENGINE FAILURE AS A RESULT OF FUEL EXHAUSTION.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,422 hours in all; 76 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 3,256 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,987 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1983; 188 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D445 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TMB Miami FL
- Destination: W22 Woodbridge VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 188° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from IAD, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N9011P 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.