Piper PA-32-260 accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, February 8, 1986
On February 8, 1986 at about 4:17 am local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N9477C, was destroyed in an accident near Lynchburg, Virginia (Lynchburg Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- February 8, 1986 · about 4:17 am local time
- Place
- Lynchburg, Virginia · Lynchburg Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9477C · no longer on the register · serial 32-7800004
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED ELBERTON, GEORGIA AT ABOUT 2043 HOURS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA. AFTER FAILING TO DESCEND OUT OF 4000 FEET DURING THE FIRST APPROACH, N9477C WAS VECTORED AROUND FOR A SECOND ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 3. SINCE THE TOWER CONTROLLER HAD GONE OFF DUTY THE SEQUENCE FLASHING LIGHTS FOR THAT RUNWAY WERE ACTIVATED BY THE PILOT. WEATHER RECORDING INSTRUMENTS ON THE FIELD INDICATED THAT THEY HAD BEEN ACTIVATED DURING THE FIRST APPROACH BUT HAD GONE OUT 8 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT DURING THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING VECTORED BACK TO THE ILS LOCALIZER. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES AND THE GROUND JUST SHORT OF AND TO THE LEFT OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 3.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 27, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 27A Elberton GA at 1:43 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 5,799 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 244° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:12 am from LYH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.