Piper PA-28-180 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, November 20, 1994
On November 20, 1994 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9420J, was destroyed in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida. 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 aircraft control while maneuvering in instrument flight conditions during an instrument approach, resulting in the pilot becoming spatially disoriented, and a subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience in instrument and night flight conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1994 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9420J · no longer on the register · serial 28-3531
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared by ATC for an ILS approach in instrument flight conditions. ATC terminated the approach when the airplane was observed on radar below the minimum altitude for that segment of the approach and 'S' turning through the final approach course. The pilot was vectored and cleared for an ASR approach. The airplane was observed on radar turning through the final approach course, and the pilot was provided with heading corrections which were not acknowledged. The airplane continued turning through the approach course, and radar contact was lost. The pilot's last recorded instrument flight was on September 15, 1989, an his last recorded night flight was on February 18, 1989.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,442 hours in all; 489 in this make and model; 1,277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,833 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1994; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 8:56 pm
- Destination: DAB FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from DAB, 3 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.