Piper PA28-161 accident near Cambridge, Ohio, June 20, 1983
On June 20, 1983 at about 2:35 am local time, a Piper PA28-161, registered N2405U, was destroyed in an accident near Cambridge, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- June 20, 1983 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Cambridge, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-161 · all PA28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N2405U · no longer on the register · serial 28-8016023
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING A NIGHT FLT AFTER THE PLT ENCOUNTERED WEATHER ACCORDING TO THE RADIO TRANSMISSIONS TO CLEVELAND CENTER. HIS STATEMENTS WERE 'WHAT HAVE YOU GOT ME INTO' AND 'WHAT ARE WE INTO HERE' WHEN ASKED BY CLEVELAND IF HE WAS INTO WEATHER THE PLT REPLIED 'I BELIEVE.' THIS WAS HIS LAST TRANSMISSION. WITNESSES IN THE AREA SAW AND HEARD HIM CIRCLING AND CLIMBING AND DIVING OUT OF CLOUDS. SOME THOUGHT HE WAS 'STUNTING' THE PLT WAS INSTRUMENT RATED BUT DID NOT HAVE VERY MUCH ACTUAL INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE (ABOUT 6 HRS TOTAL TIME). THE ACFT IMPACTED THEGROUND IN A 38 DEGREE DESCENT ANGLE IN A 35 DEGREE RIGHT BANK. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE THROWN OUT AND FATALLY INJURED. ENG SOUNDS WERE HEARD UNTIL IMPACT.
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: 378 hours in all; 328 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 303 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1983; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CAF Columbia SC at 11:06 pm
- Destination: 7GB Middlefield OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:58 am from ZZV, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.