Piper PA-28-180 accident near Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, July 6, 1986
On July 6, 1986 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7562W, was destroyed in an accident near Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 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
- July 6, 1986 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7562W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1454
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT DEPARTED YORK AIRPORT AND CRASHED 5 MIN LATER. THE ENGINE SUMP OIL QUICK DRAIN HAD DISCONNECTED AND WAS NOT FOUND. ENGINE OIL WAS EXHAUSTED AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. A TREE AND UTILITY POLE WERE FOUND DAMAGED. THE RAMP AND RUNWAY AT YORK AIRPORT DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF OIL.
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: 227 hours in all; 3 in the last 90 days; 190 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,973 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 1985; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: THV York PA at 1:09 pm
- Destination: 26N Ocean City NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.