Piper PA-28-180 N8985J

Summary

On 12 April 2003 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N8985J was involved in an accident near Conesus, New York, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 April 2003 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Conesus, New York, United States

Coordinates

42.6811, -77.6158

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N8985J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dansville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03FA082

3 people died.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was operated by a local flying club, and the pilot was being evaluated by an instructor to be authorized to utilize the airplane. Two of the maneuvers planned were "power on" and "power off" stalls. Seconds before the accident, engine noise increased, and the airplane pitched up. The pitch up stopped, and the left wing dropped. The airplane then rolled inverted and completed several revolutions before impacting trees. The instructor had a total flight experience of 1,097 hours, and received spin training in the previous 2 years. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.