Piper PA-28-180 accident near Haymarket, Virginia, September 17, 1989
On September 17, 1989 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N40892, was destroyed in an accident near Haymarket, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF THE FUEL SELECTOR, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION & LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; AND IMPROPER USE OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AFTER LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PRESENCE OF HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS (TREES) IN THE APPROACH PATH TO THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1989 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Haymarket, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N40892 · registry record · serial 28-7405074
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER NEARLY 3 HRS OF FLT, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. THE PLT APPLIED CARB HEAT, TURNED ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP, AND MOVED THE MIXTURE TO RICH, BUT THE ENG LOST ALL POWER. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A PASTURE; HOWEVER, BEFORE REACHING THE PASTURE, THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS POSITIONED TO THE LEFT TANK, WHICH CONTAINED APRX 1 PINT OF FUEL. THE RIGHT TANK WAS FULL OF FUEL. DRG A POST-ACDNT TEST RUN, THE ENG OPERATED NORMALLY. THE PLT WAS A FOREIGN NATIONAL FROM MOZAMBIQUE.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 114 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 15, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carolina Air Academy
The flight
- Departed from: MWK Mt Airy NC at 4:35 pm
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from IAD, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.