Piper PA-28-181 accident near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1988
On December 4, 1988 at about 4:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N2179Y, was destroyed in an accident near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (Chambersburg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 4, 1988 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Chambersburg, Pennsylvania · Chambersburg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N2179Y · no longer on the register · serial 28-7990382
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE PIPER PA-28 WAS AT CRUISE ALTITUDE AND GETTING ADVISORIES FROM ATC. ATC GAVE HIM A SIGMET FOR TURBULENCE WHEN HE NOTED HIS FUEL WAS GETTING LOW. HE DECIDED TO LAND AT A NEARBY AIRPORT AND WAS TOLD BY ATC THAT THE AIRPORT HE WANTED WAS AT HIS 12 O'CLOCK POSITION AND 8 MILES. RADAR SERVICE WAS THEN TERMINATED AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE PILOT COULD NOT FIND THE AIRPORT AND TRIED TO LAND ON A HIGHWAY. AS HE LINED UP WITH THE HIGHWAY TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SOME TREES AND A ROAD SIGN. WHEN THE ACFT CONTACTED THE GROUND THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THE ACFT SLID 150-200 FT BEFORE STOPPING AGAINST A GUARD RAIL.
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: 164 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1988; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Norwood MA
- Destination: Charleston WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.