Piper PA-28-140 accident near Bayse, Virginia, September 23, 1984
On September 23, 1984 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N75122, was destroyed in an accident near Bayse, Virginia (Sky Bryce airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. 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
- September 23, 1984 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Bayse, Virginia · Sky Bryce · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N75122 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7625201
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AFTER ROLLING ONLY ABOUT 1500 FT. IT WAS DESCRIBED A BEING 'BEHIND THE POWER CURVE' FOR A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE BEFORE CLIMBING ABRUPTLY. THE ACFT THEN BANKED STEEPLY TO THE LEFT & COLLIDED WITH A RIDGE AT APRX 1840 FT MSL. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARPT. THE ARPT ELEV WAS 1263 FT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT WAS APRX 75 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT DURING TAKEOFF. THE DENSITY ALT WAS COMPUTED TO BE 3000 FT. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED THAT IT HAD AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.158% (158 MG%), APRX 3 HRS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. A CHECK OF THE RGT FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.246% (246 MG%).
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: 322 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 266 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,684 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 1984; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W92 Bayse VA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,240 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from MRB, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.