Piper PA-23-250 accident near Marion, Virginia, March 18, 1996
On March 18, 1996 at about 6:00 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N54839, was destroyed in an accident near Marion, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance during the instrument approach (FAF/Outer Marker to Threshold IFR), which resulted in the in-flight collision with trees. A related factor was the foggy weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1996 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Marion, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N54839 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7554140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told ATC that he saw the runway (runway 26) during the first localizer approach, but the airplane was too fast to make the landing, so he missed the approach. The pilot was cleared for the second localizer approach to the destination airport at 0048. At approximately 0100, the airplane struck a 100-foot tall tree, and collided with terrain about 1 mile east of the airport. The airport elevation is 2559 feet, and the published minimum descent altitude for the airport was 3020 feet msl, with 1 mile visibility. The reported visibility at the destination airport was 1/4 mile in fog. The localizer approach was test flown by the FAA the day after the accident and it operated satisfactory.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,935 hours in all; 318 in this make and model; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,852 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,049 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 1995; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LNP Wise VA at 5:01 am
- Destination: MKJ VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from MKJ, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.