Piper PA-22-150 N7545D

Summary

On 18 March 1995 at about 21:35 local time, a Piper PA-22-150 registered N7545D was involved in an accident near Staley, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 March 1995 at 21:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Staley, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.7894, -79.5506

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-150

Registration

N7545D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greensboro → Siler City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA95FA089

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuvering during a forced landing, resulting in an in-flight loss of control (inadvertent stall), and subsequent in flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation to ensure there was adequate fuel available for the flight, resulting in a total loss of engine power from fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness stated he heard a change in engine noise from an airplane flying towards his location. He looked up and saw the airplane descending in a dive estimated at a 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane began at right spiraling turn at treetop level, when the nose pitched down vertically, the airplane disappeared from view below the tree line. Just before the airplane collided with the ground, the engine noise quit completely. Examination of airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash failure or malfunction. Both fuel tanks were ruptured. There was no evidence of damage to the vegetation consistent with fuel spillage, and there was no odor of fuel present at the crash site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.