Piper PA-28-180 accident near Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, May 21, 2003
On May 21, 2003 at about 3:13 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N55995, was destroyed in an accident near Bruceton Mills, West 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 intentional decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance which resulted in the airplane striking a guy wire on the communications antenna. A factor was the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2003 · about 3:13 pm local time
- Place
- Bruceton Mills, West Virginia · 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
- N55995 · registry record · serial 28-7305516
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot departed on a VFR cross country flight after he received a weather briefing which included ceilings between 1,300 feet, and 1,500 feet, and mountain obscurement. The airplane struck the top guy wire, mid-span between the top of the tower and its ground anchor. As the airplane fell to the ground, it struck a 12,000 volt power line. A post crash fire resulted. The accident site was located 18 nm east of a straight line course between his last departure point, and his first navigational fix. The airplane was equipped the VOR receivers, and the pilot had a GPS with him. The method of navigation used was not determined. Power company personnel who responded to the power outage, reported that the top of the mountain was obscured by fog. The pilot possessed a valid Canadian pilot certificate, but not a current Canadian medical certificate. He did not possess an FAA airman medical certificate or pilot certificate.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,160 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CKB Clarksburg WV at 2:44 pm
- Destination: CYKZ Buttonville
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 3:29 pm from MGW, 8 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.