Piper PA-601P accident near Wiley Ford, West Virginia, September 19, 1990
On September 19, 1990 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-601P, registered N8249J, was destroyed in an accident near Wiley Ford, West Virginia (Cumberland Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE BY NOT MAINTAINING SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE, WHILE CIRCLING TO LAND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LOW CEILING AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS IN FOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1990 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Wiley Ford, West Virginia · Cumberland Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-601P
- Registration
- N8249J · no longer on the register · serial 610-7963302
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR AN APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT. HE RECEIVED AIRPORT ADVISORIES FROM THE AIRPORT UNICOM OPERATOR & ASKED THAT THE RUNWAY LIGHTS BE TURNED UP. SOON AFTERWARDS, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN APPROACHING RUNWAY 23, WHICH WAS SERVED BY A LOCALIZER APPROACH. A WITNESS AT THE AIRPORT SAID HE SAW THE PLANE FLYING IN & OUT OF LOW HANGING CLOUDS. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE AT LEVEL FLIGHT, ABOUT 400 TO 500 FEET AGL, THEN IT PASSED OVER THE AIRPORT & WENT IN A STEEP LEFT TURN. AFTER ABOUT 90 DEGREES OF TURN, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN A SHALLOW DESCENT. IT ROLLED OUT OF THE TURN BEFORE IT DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 28. THE WITNESS SAID HE HEARD ENGINE SOUNDS THROUGHOUT THE DESCENT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL EVIDENCE OF IMPAIRMENT OR INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: National Jet CO. INC.
The flight
- Departed from: JGG Williamsburg VA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: CBE Cumberland MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 5,048 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from CBE, 1 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.