Piper PA-28-140 accident near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1984
On September 25, 1984 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N8859K, was destroyed in an accident near Hazleton, Pennsylvania (Hazleton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- September 25, 1984 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Hazleton, Pennsylvania · Hazleton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N8859K · no longer on the register · serial 2823752
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT DEPARTED WITH FULL FUEL AND PASSENGER LOAD NEAR MAX GROSS WEIGHT, TOWARD RISING TERRAIN. AFTER REACHING ABOUT 400 FT AGL, PLT FELT ACFT WAS LOSING CLIMB PERFORMANCE, ALTHOUGH NO SIGNS OF POWER DECREASE WERE NOTED. ACFT SEEMED TO BE SETTLING. PLT NOTED TREES AHEAD IN BEAM OF LNDG LIGHTS, CUT POWER AND ALLOWED ACFT TO STALL/MUSH INTO TREES. DENSITY ALTITUDE CALCULATION TO BE 3500 FT.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,308 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 19, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,899 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 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.