Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Asheville, North Carolina, June 19, 1987
On June 19, 1987 at about 1:05 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N900AJ, was destroyed in an accident near Asheville, North Carolina. It was a personal 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
- June 19, 1987 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Asheville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N900AJ · no longer on the register · serial 28R-35369
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PERSONAL NIGHT X-COUNTRY VFR FLIGHT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN THE PLT WAS INFORMED BY ATC THAT VIP LEVEL 3 AND 4 THUNDERSTORMS WERE POSITIONED ACROSS THE INTENDED FLT PATH. THE 128 HOUR NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED AND CONTINUED THE FLT. SOON AFTERWARDS RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. THE ACFT EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP. ALL STRUCTURAL FAILURES HAD OVERSTRESS SIGNATURES TYPICAL OF OVERLOAD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-BREAKUP MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. A METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE ACCD SITE INDICATED THAT THE LEADING EDGE OF A WX ECHO OF AT LEAST MOD INTENSITY CONTAINING AT LEAST A MOD RAIN SHOWER WAS LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCD SITE.
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: 128 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MEI Meridian MS at 10:16 pm
- Destination: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 64°F (18°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.
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.