- Date
- September 20, 1986, 10:22 local (15:22 UTC)
- Place
- Montgomery, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6041YPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860920045679A
- Case key
- 7195
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 initial climb phase of an experimental flt from mgm, AL, the plt rpted that the left engine had failed and an attempt was made to feather the prop. The plt radioed dannelly tower that the acft was returning to the arpt. Then the plt rpted that the right engine lost thrust, however the right prop was not feathered because he was not sure if the engine was producing power. A gear-up forced landing was made on a 4-lane highway. The acft engines were fueled with alcohol with approval of the FAA for research and development. Three days prior to the accident the acft experienced power surges and made a precautionary landing. No problems were found and the flight was continued. Inspection of the acft revealed the right prop feathered and the left prop in low pitch. The acft wgt and bal indicated approx. 400# over gross weight. The engines were successfully test run. There has been no determination as to the cause of the rpted engine failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6041Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-3227
- Airframe hours
- 3,355
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Maxwell E. Shauck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1986 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- MGM · Montgomery, AL
- Destination
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,295 total · 100 in this make and model · 8,187 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGM, 5 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.