Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Salem, Ohio, April 16, 1994
On April 16, 1994 at about 5:04 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N8685C, was destroyed in an accident near Salem, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1994 · about 5:04 am local time
- Place
- Salem, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8685C · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680133
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED INTO MARGINAL VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS LATE AT NIGHT WITHOUT RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING. HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. BEFORE DEPARTURE, A WITNESS NOTED THE PILOT LOOKED 'A LITTLE TIRED' AND THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AN AIRPLANE PROBLEM. RECORDED RADAR DATA, METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATED THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN AREA OF CLOUDS, RAIN, AND MODERATE TURBULENCE, ALL OF WHICH WERE FORECAST. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE PLANE HAD ENTERED A RAPID DESCENDING TURN FROM ABOUT 5700' MSL, THEN RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRPLANE OCCURRED, AND WRECKAGE WAS FOUND OVER A 3/4 MILE AREA. AN EXAM OF THE FRACTURES REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE STABILATORS AND LEFT WING FAILED FROM OVERLOAD IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WING PANEL FAILED UPWARD FROM OVERLOAD, AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER HAD FAILED TO THE RIGHT FROM TORSIONAL LOADS. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN RECENTLY STRIPPED AND REPAINTED, BUT NO PRE-ACCIDENT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY WAS FOUND.
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
- Flight time: 110 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,153 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1993; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Affordable Leasing, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 22G Elyria OH at 4:40 am
- Destination: JYO Leesburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 am from CAK, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.