Piper PA-28-235 accident near Selbyville, Delaware, July 21, 1984
On July 21, 1984 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N9014W, was destroyed in an accident near Selbyville, Delaware. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- July 21, 1984 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Selbyville, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N9014W · registry record · serial 28-10597
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER DEPARTED ON THE FLIGHT WITHOUT A WX BRIEFING DESPITE THE EXISTENCE OF LOW CEILINGS AND RAIN. WITNESSES RELATED HEARING THE ENGINE ACCELERATE AND SEEING THE ACFT START A CLIMB BEFORE IT BROKE UP AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER FAILED NEGATIVELY AT A LOW ALTITUDE RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. THE STUDENT PLT BEGAN FLYING IN 1974.
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: 156 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 134 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,111 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1983; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N80 Ocean City MD
- Destination: 1G8 Toronto OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from SBY, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N9014W 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.