Piper PA-28-180 accident near Stuarts Draft, Virginia, April 7, 1989
On April 7, 1989 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N44510, was destroyed in an accident near Stuarts Draft, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE ABOVE THE TERRAIN AFTER FLYING VFR INTO IMC. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CEILING AND FOG CONDITIONS AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 1989 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Stuarts Draft, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N44510 · registry record · serial 28-7405250
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPARTED FOR THE X-COUNTRY AND FAILED TO ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION. IT WAS REPORTED MISSING ON 4-19-89. SEARCH EFFORTS FAILED TO LOCATE THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS LOCATED ON 11-14-89 BY A LOCAL HUNTER. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AT THE 3,000 FT LEVEL NEAR THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN. WEATHER ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT AND NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS FORECAST TO HAVE BEEN MARGINAL VFR TO IFR. THE CLOSEST REPORTING STATION REPORTED CEILINGS NEAR THE ELEVATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. NO MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENGINE WAS NOTED DURING THE INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH THE FUEL TANKS WERE RUPTURED, THE ACFT HAD BEEN REFUELED PRIOR TO ITS DEPARTURE AND SHOULD HAVE HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL TO CONTINUE PAST THE ACCIDENT LOCATION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,850 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 2,670 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,434 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2G6 Meadville PA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: ORL Orlando FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:45 pm from SHD, 15 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.
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.