- Date
- May 21, 1986, 05:15 local (09:15 UTC)
- Place
- Valdosta, GA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2850SPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860521021119A
- Case key
- 6942
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 left engine lost power shortly after takeoff and the pilot did not feather the propeller. A traffic pattern was flown with the aircraft in a continuous descent. Insufficient altitude remained to maneuver the aircraft to the runway, so the pilot elected to land on level ground near the approach end of the runway. Just before landing, he extended the gear, then the aircraft touched down hard which sheared off the landing gear. No fuel was found forward of the fire wall in the fuel line to the left engine. No mechanical problem was found that would have resulted in starvation of fuel to the left engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2850S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970287
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air Taxi South, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 16, 1986 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- VLD
- Destination
- Sarasota, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- VLD · Valdosta, runway 35, 6,302 × 150 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
- 63
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,300 total · 27 in this make and model · 17,100 as pilot in command · 189 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VLD, 1 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.