Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Ravenna, Ohio, November 24, 1993
On November 24, 1993 at about 11:02 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N8467H, was destroyed in an accident near Ravenna, Ohio (Portage County Airport). 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 ATTEMPTED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES IN THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND BECAME SPATIALLY DISORIENTED DURING THE TAKEOFF CLIMB. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CEILING, NIGHT CONDITIONS, AND AN INACCURATE ATTITUDE INDICATOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1993 · about 11:02 pm local time
- Place
- Ravenna, Ohio · Portage County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N8467H · no longer on the register · serial 28R-8218006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff climb in instrument meteorological conditions at night, the pilot became spatially disoriented. Prior to takeoff, and during the last flight prior to the accident, the pilot was made aware of an attitude indicator inaccuracy in the accident airplane. A witness to the accident stated that he heard the airplane's engine at high RPM then go to Low RPM. He stated he heard the engine do this a few times over the airport area. He stated that he saw the airplane come out of the cloud base and then bank into a 60-degree left turn. The airplane impacted trees and then a paint hangar before coming to rest on the ground. An IFR flight plan was filed for the cross country personal flight. Witness reports indicated the cloud base was anywhere between 200 to 700 feet above the ground around the time of the accident. Post accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,876 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 13, 1993; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Patterson Afb Aero Cl
The flight
- Destination: KFFO Wpafb OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,700 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from CAK, 20 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.