- Date
- May 10, 1987, 14:52 local (19:52 UTC)
- Place
- Collierville, TN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N25020Piper J4A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870510014069A
- Case key
- 7295
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
It was reptd that the plt was taking his pax up for a LCL photographic flt at the req of the pax. Witnesses reptd that the acft remained over the apt for two or three circuits and then deptd the area in the dir of Collierville. Witnesses near the crash site reptd that the acft was maneuvering at low altitude. It was then reptd that the engine sputtered and the acft was observed to be in a nose high attitude. The acft was then observed to roll to the right and dive into a residence. Investigation revealed that conditions were conducive to serious carburetor icing. In addition, the eng primer was found unlocked and four cyl hold down studs for the #2 cyl were found failed as a result of fatigue cracks. An exhaust crack in the #2 cyl exhaust manifold exhibited evidence of a 1/2 inch long blowby leak.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25020
- Reported as
- Piper J4A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4-792
- Airframe hours
- 1,091
- Engine
- Continental A65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roy E. Degan, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 1986 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- 54M · Rossville, TN
- Airport
- 54M · Wolf River
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
- 54
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 25,800 total · 450 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 15 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.