- Date
- November 25, 1989, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Helen, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7681PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891125046609A
- Case key
- 8106
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly preflight and plan en route refueling stops. The airplane collided with trees during the emergency descent.
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
While in cruise altitude en route to athens, GA the engine quit. The flight was last observed by hunters low overhead prior to colliding with trees. The witness did not hear the engine running. The collision separated the wing structure and the airplane crashed inverted in the woods. The wreckage examination failed to disclose mechanical problems. Reconstruction of the flight route indicated that the pilot did not have enough fuel. En route attention to actual flight time would have alerted the pilot of the need to refuel prior to athens.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7681P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2854
- Airframe hours
- 3,122
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A105, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Herbert A. Shannon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- MEI · Muncie, IN
- Destination
- AHN · Athens, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 69
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 550 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN, 50 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.
Other investigations on N7681P · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.