- Date
- June 13, 1982, 15:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N80SAPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 13, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820613022099A
- Case key
- 72561
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot obtained a weather briefing and filed a VFR flight plan before takeoff. He was advised that the weather was 6000 ft scattered, 6 miles visibility, possible storms gathering at palatka, FL. After takeoff, he was unable to contact the flight service station to activate the flight plan. While enroute, he had to deviate to avoid weather and became lost. He tried to obtain help by using his radio. But was unable. He finally located an airport (hunter afb), the engine lost power from fuel exhaustion before he arrived. He elected to land on a dirt road, but was unable to clear the tops of the trees. The pilot guided the plane between two trees as he crash landed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80SA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8090194
- Airframe hours
- 1,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Shields Aviation
- Registered owner
- Shields Aviation
- Departed
- Cedar Keys, FL
- Destination
- Jacksonville, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 11 in this make and model · 52 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.