Piper PA-38-112 accident near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, October 31, 1986
On October 31, 1986 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2373G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Smith Reynolds airport). It was an instructional 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
- October 31, 1986 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Smith Reynolds
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2373G · registry record · serial 38-794-0508
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS, N2373G LOST POWER DURING A GO-AROUND. THE FLIGHT WAS INSTRUCTED TO GO-AROUND DUE TO ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 03. THE PILOT REVERSED HIS COURSE TOWARD RUNWAY 21. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO TREES SHORT OF RUNWAY 21. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THAT THERE WAS NO FUEL RECOVERED FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM.
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: 48 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,340 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 1986; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from INT
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.