- Date
- April 27, 1984, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Maynardville, TN
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5502JPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840427014559A
- Case key
- 6273
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 acft crashed in an uncontrolled state after the airframe failed in flt. Witnesses observed the acft spinning out of the clouds with parts of the airframe separating as it descended. The weather had been described to the plt in 2 wx briefings. At the time of the accident, the wx was 3500 ft overcast with tops at 8000 ft MSL, light turbulence below 10,000 ft, freezing level above 10,000 ft. there was a flt precaution for thunderstorms. The acft wreckage was scattered over an area of aprx 2000 ft long x 50 ft wide. Paper debris was found up to 4 mi from the main wreckage. The wreckage path was divided into 2 main sections which were separated by a county road. NE of the road were parts from the empennage section. Sw of the road were components from the main fuselage & the separated wing assemblies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5502J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-972
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Redstone Arsenal, doing business as Flying Club
- Registered owner
- William Moeller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 7, 1984 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- Huntsville, AL
- Destination
- Harrisonburg, VA
- 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 134 total · 3 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 35 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.