- Date
- March 23, 1984, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Woodstock, GA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4809SPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840323042509A
- Case key
- 6268
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
Shortly after breaking ground during the takeoff, the engine lost power & the acft came back down to the rwy. The engine regained power & the plt continued the takeoff. The engine again lost power. Subsequently, the acft impacted on an uneven, grassy, open area about 900 ft north of the airstrip. The plt received a head injury & was unableto remember details of the accident. The acft was not equipped with shoulder harnesses. An investigation revealed that there was water in the right tank & the fuel selector was found positioned to the right tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4809S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-1193
- Airframe hours
- 3,526
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lorri E. Mecham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1983 · 144 hours before
- Airport
- Air Acres, runway 36, 2,200 × 65 ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,498 total · 670 in this make and model · 1,344 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY, 22 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.