The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB CEN16WA318 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Piper PA28 accident near Winchelsea, East Sussex, Gb, August 6, 2016

On August 6, 2016 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA28, registered GCDER, was involved in an accident near Winchelsea, East Sussex. 1 person was killed.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 6, 2016 · about 5:00 pm local time
Place
Winchelsea, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Piper PA28 161 · all PA28s on the register
Registration
GCDER · no longer on the register
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

On August 6, 2016, a Piper PA-28-161 airplane, G-CDER, sank after ditching near Winchelsea, East Sussex. The pilot was fatally injured. This investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the government of the United Kingdom. Any further information may be obtained from: Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) Telephone: +44 0 1252 51300 Facsimile: +44 0 1252 376699 Email: investigations@aaib.gov.uk This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by, or obtained from, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Not recorded

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.