Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Suffolk Muni Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Suffolk, Virginia 23434
Sunday, March 12, 1995 21:30 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
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.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
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.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/12/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2130 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | SUFFOLK |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 23434 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SUFFOLK MUNI |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SFQ |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 5 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 280 |
| Airport Elevation | 72 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2150 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 51 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ORF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 27 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 27 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Bright |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 180 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 3 |
| Injury Total All | 6 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 651 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 13 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 30 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:10PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N57326 |
| NTSB Number | NYC95FA068 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32-260 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32-260 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32-7400016 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 9 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 119 |
| Airframe Hours | 2700 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | EMORY E. BOLTON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8221 CANTERBURY CREST LANE |
| Aircraft Owner City | SUFFOLK |
| Aircraft Owner State | VA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 23436 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 4A7 |
| Departure City | HAMPTON |
| Departure State | GA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1800 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | PHF |
| Destination City | NEWPORT NEWS |
| Destination State | VA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Emergency landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |