Piper PA-28-180 accident near Bethel, Pennsylvania, November 16, 1982
On November 16, 1982 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N2581R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1982 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N2581R · no longer on the register · serial 28-5681
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THE AIRCRAFT MADE SEVERAL LOW LEVEL PASSES OVER A FARM HOUSE INCLUDING FLYING UNDER POWERLINES BEFORE COLLIDING WITH A TREE. THE PILOT, WHO WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED COULD NOT REMEMBER THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL DESCREPANCIES AND INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE APPEARED CAPABLE OF OPERATING NORMALLY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,595 hours in all; 1,588 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 1,406 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 828 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: James V. Roy,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Lebanon Valley PA
- Destination: Somerset NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.