Piper PA-28-181 accident near Charleston, West Virginia, May 22, 1985
On May 22, 1985 at about 1:58 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8460M, was destroyed in an accident near Charleston, West Virginia (Yeager airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- May 22, 1985 · about 1:58 am local time
- Place
- Charleston, West Virginia · Yeager · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8460M · no longer on the register · serial 28-8290054
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MILE SHORT OF THE RWY THRESHOLD DURING AN IFR APPRCH ON A DARK NIGHT IN IMC WX. THE PLT HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON THE WX AND WAS GIVEN THE CEILING AT HIS DESTINATION AS BELOW VFR MINIMUMS . THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT CHOSE TO TRY AN APPROACH ANYWAY INSTEAD OF GOING TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT.
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
- Flight time: 351 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 302 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1985; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1G3 Kent OH
- Destination: CRW Charleston WV
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 23, 6,302 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from CRW, 1 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.
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.