- Date
- October 28, 1986, 13:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrenceville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3285WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861028052109A
- Case key
- 7264
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
About 20 min after takeoff, while cruising at 6500', the eng lost power. Rprtdly, the eng went to either idle or a wind-milling cond & the fuel pressure dropped to zero. The plt tried to restart the eng by using emerg procedures, but was unable. He initially tried to contact atlanta apch ctl (satellite radar-p position/sat-p) when the acft was aprx 12 mi nw of gwinnett co arpt; however, he had difficulty making rdo contact. After contact was made, he declared a 'mayday situation,' & 47 sec later, he was provided a vector to the arpt & was advised it was 7 mi ahead. Svrl subsequently rdo calls were blocked by other acft using the same freq. When the plt was unable to glide to the arpt, he started a turn tolnd on a road, but the acft hit a tree, then crashed into a utility pole & house & burned. Nearby persons removed the occupants fm the acft, but the acft, house & 2 cars were badly burned. No reason was fnd for loss of fuel pressure & engpower. Downing & mathis airstrips were located aprx 15 & 12 mi nw of gwinnett co arpt, aprx 3 mi rgt of acft's flt path.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3285W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-116
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Marion A. Allen, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 1986
- Departed
- 49A · Ellijay, GA
- Destination
- 54A · Perry, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 17A · Gwinnett Co
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 102 total · 20 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 11 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDK, 18 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.