Piper PA28 accident near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, October 19, 2018
On October 19, 2018 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1980 Piper PA28, registered N8222N, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Greene County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper decision to maneuver the airplane through an area of construction and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from a concrete pole barrier while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2018 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesburg, Pennsylvania · Greene County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 161, built 1980 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N8222N · no longer on the register · serial 28-8016341
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that, after landing and while taxiing toward the fuel farm, he decided to maneuver through a partially sectioned-off area surrounded by orange construction cones. While he was focused on the cones, the airplane's right wing struck a concrete pole barrier surrounding the fuel farm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and baggage door floorboards. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 237 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,326 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 2,143 hours total
- Operator: Soar Of Greene Co Inc Dba
The flight
- Departed from: WAY Waynesburg PA
- Destination: WAY Waynesburg PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 19, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident 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.