Piper PA-28-180 accident near Abbeville, South Carolina, August 9, 1985
On August 9, 1985 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7475W, was destroyed in an accident near Abbeville, South Carolina (Davis Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- August 9, 1985 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Abbeville, South Carolina · Davis Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7475W · registry record · serial 28-1384
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO TREES & THE GROUND AFTER GOING INTO A LEFT TURN DURING A GO-AROUND INITIATED AFTER A BOUNCY LANDING. AFTER POWER WAS ADDED FOR THE GO-AROUND THE ACFT SEEMED TO BE UNCONTROLLED SO THAT THE CFI ON THE GROUND, WHO HAD JUST EXITED THE ACFT AFTER SEVERAL LANDINGS, USED A HAND-HELD RADIO TO TELL THE STUDENT PLT TO LEVEL HIS WINGS. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE ACFT WHICH CONTINUED TO TURN INTO THE TREES. AN AUTOPSY PERFORMED ON THE PLT AFTER THE ACC SHOWED THAT THE HEART ATTACK HAD OCCURRED AND IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE INCAPACITATED THE PLT JUST AFTER THE GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED.
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: student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,100 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 3, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: A03 Abbeville SC at 2:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 2,240 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from ARD, 27 miles away
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.
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.