Piper J-5A accident near Raeford, NC

On September 8, 1994, a Piper J-5A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Raeford, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

September 8, 1994

Place

Raeford, NC

Aircraft

Piper J-5A · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

34.970°N, 79.220°W

NTSB ID

20001206X02175

NTSB summary

On September 8, 1994, at 1845 eastern daylight time, a Piper J-5A, N31172, collided with the ground near a private airstrip in Raeford, North Carolina. The personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and the post impact fire. The pilot, and the passenger received serious injuries; two days after the accident the pilot expired. The flight departed a private airstrip near Raeford, North Carolina, at 1830 hours. According to the passenger, fifteen minutes into the flight, as they approached the private airstrip, a tractor trailer on highway 20 passed directly beneath the airplane. At that point the pilot initiated a "hard" right climbing turn. The steep climbing turn continued until the airplane stalled, and the airplane broke right. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose low attitude and burned. No obvious aircraft problems were observed by the passenger. The passenger stated that the pilot was flying at an altitude of 35 feet above the ground. Examination of the wreckage and accident site disclosed that the center section of the fuselage was fire damaged. The right landing gear and strut assemblies were displaced aft under the fuselage. The right wing spar assembly was also displaced aft and was broken in several places. An examination of the engine and airframe assemblies failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or failure. The postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by Dr. Ricky Thompson, on September

Probable cause

THE PILOT'S OSTENTATIOUS DISPLAY WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.