Piper PA28 accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, March 13, 2018
On March 13, 2018 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1977 Piper PA28, registered N5646V, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Chesapeake, Virginia (Chesapeake Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat during the approach for a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during the subsequent takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2018 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · Chesapeake Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 181, built 1977 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N5646V · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790487
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings; the airplane was about 200 ft above ground level after a takeoff when the engine lost total power. The pilot cycled the throttle during the straight-ahead descent, which restored power momentarily before the forced landing. During the ground roll, the nose landing gear separated, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident test run of the engine using the fuel available in the airplane’s tanks and the intact fuel system revealed that the engine operated normally with no anomalies noted. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at descent engine power settings. The pilot stated that he had not activated the carburetor heat at any point during the flight. Because the engine operated normally after the accident, the weather conditions were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing, and the pilot failed to use carburetor heat during the approach, it is likely that the engine lost power due to the accumulation of carburetor ice before and during the takeoff.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 188.1 hours in all; 139.8 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,618 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 16, 2018; 19 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Epix Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CPK Chesapeake VA
- Destination: CPK Chesapeake VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KCPK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 5, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for Record - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record – Telephone Interview, Pilot (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Merorandum for Record - FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.