- Date
- December 23, 1983, 17:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Oak Mountain, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56494Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831223063529A
- Case key
- 6402
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
While en route, the plt arrived at a check point 18 min behind schedule. Aprx 25 min later, he tuned in an incorrect VOR frequency that he had written down on his flt plan. The station that he tuned in was east of the desired station & the geographic features in the area were similar. When the plt realized he was off course, his remaining fuel supply was low. He tried to fly to the nearest arpt, but fuel exhaustion occurred first. He then made an emergency, night apch to a highway, but was froced to land on the shoulder due to vehicular traffic. After touching down, the nosewheel sank into mud & the acft nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56494
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325640
- Airframe hours
- 2,191
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Howard B. Barnes Mike Ensmingr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 21, 1983
- Departed
- ISM · Kissimmee, FL
- Destination
- 21A · Alabaster, AL
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 151 total · 65 in this make and model · 121 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.