Piper PA-28-161 accident near Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1987
On November 14, 1987 at about 3:07 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8318L, was destroyed in an accident near Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. 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 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 14, 1987 · about 3:07 pm local time
- Place
- Spartansburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8318L · no longer on the register · serial 28-8116122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED AT THE FRANKLIN, PA AIRPORT AFTER ENCOUNTERING FOG. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL PHONE CALLS AND REMAINING ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 37 MINUTES HE DEPARTED. ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN CIRCLING AT A LOW ALTITUDE, FLYING IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE ENGINE WAS HEARD RUNNING AT FULL POWER AND REDUCED POWER. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A FIELD.
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: 99 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 39 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,137 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 4, 1987; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Beaver Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Franklin PA
- Destination: Niagara Falls NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N8318L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.