Piper PA-32-260 N57326
13 March 1995 · Suffolk, Virginia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 March 1995 at about 02:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N57326 was involved in an accident near Suffolk, Virginia, United States. 6 people were on board and 3 died, 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Suffolk, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Suffolk Muni (SFQ)
- Coordinates
- 36.6990, -76.6296
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260
- Registration
- N57326
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Hampton → Newport News
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- NYC95FA068
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT AND IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. DARKNESS WAS A FACTOR RELATED TO THE IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION-MAKING FOR THE EMERGENCY LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
BEFORE DEPARTING FROM HAMPTON, GA, THE PILOT REQUESTED THAT THE TWO MAIN TANKS AND TWO AUX TANKS BE 'TOPPED'; HOWEVER, THE REFUELER STATED THAT ONLY THE MAINS WERE FILLED. EN ROUTE, THE PILOT BECAME AWARE OF A LOW FUEL CONDITION. A PASSENGER STATED THAT THE PILOT CONSIDERED LANDING AT RALEIGH-DURHAM FOR FUEL, BUT HAVING A RADIO PROBLEM, HE CONTINUED THE FLIGHT TOWARD THE DESTINATION (NEWPORT NEWS, VA). LATER, HE DECIDED TO DIVERT TO SUFFOLK, VA, BUT THE ENGINE LOST POWER ABOUT 5 MILES FROM THE SUFFOLK MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AS THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING TO LAND IN A FIELD AT NIGHT. NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE. A TOXICOLOGY TEST OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD SHOWED THAT IT CONTAINED 0.048 MCG/ML OF CHLORPHENIRAMINE (OVER-THE-COUNTER ANTIHISTAMINE). CHLORPHENIRAMINE AND PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE (OVER-THE-COUNTER DECONGESTANT) WERE ALSO DETECTED IN HIS URINE. CHLORPHENIRAMINE IS A CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANT THAT COULD CAUSE DROWSINESS AND IS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-32-260 | Caribbean Sea | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-32-260 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1995 | Piper PA-32-300 | Lakeville, Minnesota, United States | Richard Knutson | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-32-301 | Kodiak, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 8 Apr 1995 | Piper PA-32-260 | St. Clair, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 May 1995 | Piper PA-32-260 | N. Miami Beach, Florida, United States | Tynes, Kevin E. | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,695 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1995 | Kolb TWINSTAR | Abingdon, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 1995 | Cessna 172D | Hague, Virginia, United States | Morgan T Moore | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1995 | Beechcraft 65 | West Point, Virginia, United States | Peninsula Sky Divers | Fatal | 11 |
| 9 Aug 1995 | North American SNJ-5 | Luray, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-22-150 | South Boston, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1995 | Insua L-21 | Petersburg, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |