- Date
- March 30, 1985, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Blairsville, GA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3744WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850330010149A
- Case key
- 6768
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
During flt, the plt encountered unfavorable winds & rain, then became concerned about his fuel supply. He diverted to Blairsville & was landing when a gust of wind blew the acft side ways. The plt re-aligned the acft with the rwy, but it suddenly dropped & landed hard. During touchdown, the left main gear collapsed & the acft slid off the left side of the rwy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3744W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-658
- Airframe hours
- 2,350
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Verne P. Anker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AID · Anderson, IN
- Destination
- AHN · Athens, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 46A · Blairsville, runway 25, 3,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 282 total · 14 in this make and model · 154 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVS, 58 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.
Other investigations on N3744W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.