Piper PA-28-161 accident near Danville, Virginia, November 17, 1986
On November 17, 1986 at about 5:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N43905, was destroyed in an accident near Danville, Virginia (Danville Municipal airport). 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
- November 17, 1986 · about 5:15 am local time
- Place
- Danville, Virginia · Danville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N43905 · registry record · serial 288516043
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AROUND THE AIRPORT AS THE WEATHER DETERIORATED. THE PILOT HAD ELECTED TO DEPART AT ABOUT 2345 EST AFTER OBTAINING A WEATHER BRIEFING 6 & 1/2 HOURS BEFORE. THE PLT HAD A TOTAL OF ABOUT 83 HOURS FLYING TIME AND DID NOT HAVE ANY INSTRUMENT TIME LOGGED IN HIS LOGBOOK SINCE OBTAINING HIS PRIVATE PLT CERTIFICATE OVER A YEAR PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT DISAPPEAR IN AND OUT OF FOG. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES IN A RIGHT WING LOW, RIGHT TURN BEFORE COMING TO REST NEXT TO AN ABANDONDED HOUSE WITHIN 1,000 FT OF A RWY.
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: 83 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 58 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 458 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 30, 1986; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,440 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: General Aviation INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.