Piper PA-28-181 accident near Belington, West Virginia, September 18, 1991
On September 18, 1991 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N2126P, was destroyed in an accident near Belington, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 WHICH RESULTED IN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. CONTRIBUTING WAS MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1991 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Belington, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N2126P · no longer on the register · serial 28-7990290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN AND IT HAD BEEN MISSING FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS WHEN IT WAS FOUND. THE ACFT WAS HEADED 140 DEGREES WHEN IT STRUCK THE WEST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. THE ACFT WRECKAGE DEBRIS WAS STREWN A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 300 FEET. THE FLIGHT WAS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. THE EXAMINATION DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,392 hours in all; 1,659 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 10,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,979 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1991; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8G6 Cadiz OH
- Destination: PHF Newport News VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.