Piper PA-28-161 accident near Leesburg, Virginia, November 9, 2005
On November 9, 2005 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4171T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Executive Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2005 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4171T · no longer on the register · serial 2842046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the student pilot were performing "touch and go" landings in the airport traffic pattern. The airplane had completed one circuit around the traffic pattern, and during the transition from landing to the second takeoff, the airplane rolled almost the entire length of the runway before leaving the ground. The airplane then banked steeply left, at a low altitude, and descended in a nose down attitude subsequently impacting trees and terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any pre-impact failures or malfunctions. Toxicological testing of the flight instructor revealed the presence of marihuana. The extent to which this drug may have affected the instructor could not be determined. Toxicological testing of the student revealed the presence of a sedating over-the-counter antihistamine and a prescription antidepressant.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 934 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2005; 56.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Av-Ed Flight School Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: JYO Leesburg VA at 2:20 pm
- Destination: JYO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 pm from JYO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.