- Date
- March 30, 1986, 20:27 local (Mar 31, 1986, 02:27 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Rucker, AL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8140YPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860330008489A
- Case key
- 7080
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 x-c flt departed killeen, TX, with an intermediate stop at alexandria, LA. A passenger was disembarked at cairns aaf and during departure for dothan, the aircraft's engine sputtered and lost power. The aircraft collided with trees near the airport. Prior to departure one pilot stated that fuel gauges indicated 3 gal in left and 8 gal in right. Less than 1 gal was drained from the left tank. The tachometer indicated total flight time of 5.01 hours. The engine was tested and ran properly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8140Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8231033
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- The Plane Thing, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Robert C. Bess
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- OZR · Fort Rucker, AL
- Destination
- DHN · Dothan, AL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- OZR · Cairns Aaf, runway 6, 4,500 × 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Military, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,883 total · 133 in this make and model · 3,210 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OZR, 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.