ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38456
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| Date: | Monday 29 October 1984 |
| Time: | 14:15 LT |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Lois A. Fida |
| Registration: | N172VF |
| MSN: | 86453 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1400 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Keysers Ridge, Allegheny Mountains, Garrett County, Maryland -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Mexico Farm, Cumberland, Maryland (1W3) |
| Harrison County Airport, Cadiz, Ohio (8G6) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth MSN 86453; Taken on charge by the RAF as NM133 at 38 MU RAF Llandow, Glamorgan 29.1.44. To 10 FIS (Flying Instructors School), Woodley, Reading, Berkshire 28.2.44; to 8 EFTS RAF Woodley, Reading, Berkshire 7.5.46 coded “FDQ-S”. To 16 EFTS RAF Burnaston, Derbyshire 17.4.47. To 2 EFTS RAF Yatesbury, Wiltshire 14.5.47 coded ‘FHE-U’. To 2 FTS, RAF Church Lawford 25.9.47; to RAF South Cerney, Gloucestershire 4.48 coded “FAM-L”. To 67 MU (sic) 12.8.49. To Wigsley Station Flight [undated, probably 1949-50]. To 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumberland 12.10.51 for long term storage pending disposal.
Struck off charge when sold 18.11.53 to A J Whittemore [Aeradio] Ltd, Croydon. UK civil registered as G-ANJN (C of R R4318/1) 12.12.53 to AJ Whittemore (Aeradio) Ltd, Croydon Airport, Cryodon, Surrey. Sold 22.7.55 (but not registered) to Continental Aircraft Services Ltd and overhauled at Eastleigh [in 6.55]. Sold to France; C of A not known; Registration cancelled 22.7.55 as "sold to France - F-BHIY". delivered to France ex-Croydon 9.8.55.
Inspected at Toussus-le-Noble 22.6.56 and French civil registered as F-BHIY 13.8.56 to Aero Club d'Aire-sur-Adour, Aire-sur-Adour, Landes. C of A lapsed 31.10.59; registration cancelled 31.8.62. Registration F-BHIY cancelled 8.12.78 as destroyed.
Reportedly bought in France c.1970 by Tony Tirri and shipped to USA. Sold on arrival to Geert E Frank, but sold back to Tony Tirri in 1977. Sold 5.3.78 by Anthony C (Tony) Tirri and registered N54576 3.4.78 to Dave Workman, Zanesville, Ohio (using identity of NM172 – however, see MSN 86480). Registration N6665K assigned 10.4.78 to same owner and reported ‘placed on aircraft’ 14.4.78. Still on rebuild 1980 (fitted with Gipsy Major #8419). Note that US FAA records make no reference to registrations N54576 and/or N6665K on those respective record cards ever being applied to any DH.82A Tiger Moth.
Sold 26.6.82 and re-registered 16.10.82 to Victor W Fida, Bridgeport, Ohio (based Harrison County Airport, Cadiz, Ohio). Registration N172VF assigned 15.2.84 to same owner; reported placed on aircraft 31.5.84. Sold 10.9.84 and re-registered 2.11.84 to (wife) Lois A Fida, Wheeling, West Virginia. Reflown 26.6.84; C of A issued 18.7.84.
Written off (Destroyed) when crashed and destroyed by fire during forced landing in bad weather at Keyser’s Ridge, Allegheny Mountains, Maryland 29.10.84; Lois Fida & passenger killed [Victor Fida having been killed in a motor accident shortly before]. The accident report identified the aircraft as NM133 (its former RAF Serial number). According to the summary of the NTSB accident investigation:
"THE FLIGHT WAS THE FINAL LEG OF A FLIGHT FROM WINCHESTER, VA THAT HAD BEEN DISCONTINUED THE DAY BEFORE DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS WERE OBTAINED ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, BOTH OF WHICH INCLUDED THE STATEMENT THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLIGHT ALONG INTERSTATE 40.
THE PILOT STATED TO A FRIEND THAT THE WEATHER LOOKED 'TERRIBLE' BUT WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO GET HOME, AND THAT SHE WOULD TURN AROUND, IF POOR WEATHER WAS ENCOUNTERED. WITNESSES TRAVELING WEST ON ROUTE 40 SAY THE AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET AS IT FLEW BELOW THE OVERCAST OBSCURING THE HILLTOPS.
THE CEILING LOWERED IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A STEEP LEFT BANK 50 TO 60 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE NOSE PITCHED SHARPLY DOWNWARD AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK AND CAME TO REST ON A HIGHWAY ACCESS RAMP. A FIRE ENSUED. FOG AND RAIN SUBSEQUENTLY ENVELOPED THE SITE PRECLUDING A MEDEVAC HELICOPTER LANDING ON SCENE. THE PILOT SUCCUMBED TO INJURIES IN A HOSPITAL ABOUT 8 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
CAUSE:
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
1. (C) FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER - CONTINUED - PILOT IN COMMAND
2. (C) IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION - DELAYED - PILOT IN COMMAND
3. (C) REMEDIAL ACTION - ATTEMPTED - PILOT IN COMMAND
4. (C) STALL/SPIN - INITIATED - PILOT IN COMMAND
5. (F) WEATHER CONDITION - LOW CEILING
6. (F) WEATHER CONDITION - FOG"
Keysers Ridge is an unincorporated community in northern Garrett County, Maryland, United States; it lies to the west of Grantsville on Interstate 68 and is bounded to the northwest by the Savage River State Forest. It is primarily known for its key location on Interstate 68 and U.S. Route 40. Registration N172VF belatedly cancelled 12.9.2013, having expired 31.3.2103.
Sources:
1, Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J. Hally, Air Brtiain)
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ANJN.pdf
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p864.html
5. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=172VF
6. NTSB Accident Number BFO85FA004: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001214X41290&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_Farms_Airport
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_County_Airport_(Ohio)
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keysers_Ridge,_Maryland
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Jan-2022 01:56 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 10-Jan-2022 02:10 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2022 18:13 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Jan-2022 01:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
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