Piper PA-28-180 accident near West Wardsboro, Vermont, October 31, 1991
On October 31, 1991 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N8855J, was destroyed in an accident near West Wardsboro, Vermont. It was a personal 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 FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE FLIGHT AND WEATHER PLANNING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1991 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Wardsboro, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N8855J · no longer on the register · serial 28-2819
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING HIS AIRCRAFT VFR TO A NEARBY MOUNTAIN TOP AIRPORT TO STORE IT FOR THE WINTER. AS HE PROGRESSED TO HIS DESTINATION THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS, THE CLOUDS WERE MUCH CLOSER TO THE GROUND. WHILE MANEUVERING TO FIND HIS WAY, HE COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,903 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1991; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Jamaica VT
- Destination: 4V8 Mt Snow VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from RUT, 37 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.