Piper PA-22-150 accident near Staley, North Carolina, March 18, 1995
On March 18, 1995 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N7545D, was destroyed in an accident near Staley, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuvering during a forced landing, resulting in an in-flight loss of control (inadvertent stall), and subsequent in flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation to ensure there was adequate fuel available for the flight, resulting in a total loss of engine power from fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1995 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Staley, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N7545D · no longer on the register · serial 22-5276
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness stated he heard a change in engine noise from an airplane flying towards his location. He looked up and saw the airplane descending in a dive estimated at a 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane began at right spiraling turn at treetop level, when the nose pitched down vertically, the airplane disappeared from view below the tree line. Just before the airplane collided with the ground, the engine noise quit completely. Examination of airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash failure or malfunction. Both fuel tanks were ruptured. There was no evidence of damage to the vegetation consistent with fuel spillage, and there was no odor of fuel present at the crash site.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,043 hours in all; 592 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,678 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1994; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSO Greensboro NC at 9:19 pm
- Destination: 5W8 Siler City NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from GSO, 28 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.