- Date
- June 24, 1984, 04:31 local (08:31 UTC)
- Place
- Canton, GA
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8640NPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840624029329A
- Case key
- 6568
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 with a student plt at the controls had an in-flt breakup during a night x-country flt. During a preflt wx briefing, he was advised that VFR flt was not recommended. The plt terminated the conversation before the briefing was completed. While in flt, the plt was in radio & radar contact with atlanta center. As the flt neared a thunderstorm, the plt asked for radar assistance. Shortly after that, the acft entered a right turn, & after about 270 deg of turn, radar & radio contact were lost. Parts of the acft were found scattered over a wide area in the vicinity of where radar contact was lost. An exam of the wreckage revealed that the stabilators & wings had separated in flt. There was evidencethat they had failed from overload & that the stabilators had failed downward. A check of the plt's liver fluid showed an alcohol level of 0.092%. The plt was not endorsed for this night x-country flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8640N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7140033
- Airframe hours
- 1,796
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Circle C. Farms, doing business as Kennith R. Powell
- Registered owner
- Circle C. Farmes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1983 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- RNC · Mcminnville, TN
- Destination
- FTY · Atlanta, GA
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 43 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8640N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.