- Date
- December 30, 1984, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sparta, TN
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7589YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841230068969A
- Case key
- 6730
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
Dual engine stoppage. Fuel tanks topped before takeoff. Plt had filed IFR en route but the wind had shifted to a 30 kt headwind. Plt became concerned about fuel remaining and made an instrument apch which was missed because of low clouds. During course to an alternate, the left engine quit. During vectors to the nearest airport the right engine quit, and subsequently, the acft collided with trees during a forced landing. The plt said the engine stoppage sounded like fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7589Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-656
- Airframe hours
- 7,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-BIA, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Robinson J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1984
- Departed
- ROC · Rochester, NY
- Destination
- BNA · Nashville, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,137 total · 194 in this make and model · 52 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CSV, 23 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.