Piper PA-38 accident near Manassas, Virginia, April 30, 1999
On April 30, 1999 at about 2:52 pm local time, a Piper PA-38, registered N2338D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manassas, Virginia (Manassas Airport). It was an instructional 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 failure to maintain the proper rate of descend on final approach followed by an improper flare which resulted on a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1999 · about 2:52 pm local time
- Place
- Manassas, Virginia · Manassas Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38 · all PA-38s on the register
- Registration
- N2338D · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A0277
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot returned from a solo training flight for landing on runway 34. Winds reported were form 070 degrees at 6 knots gusting to 14 knots. The student pilot reported that approximately 20 feet above the runway threshold, the stall warning horn sounded and the airplane struck the ground immediately, with no time to recover. He reported there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. The student pilot reported 65 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
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: student
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 23 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,971 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1999; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HEF at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,703 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from HEF
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.