- Date
- December 11, 1984, 19:32 local (Dec 12, 1984, 00:32 UTC)
- Place
- Pontiac, MI
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N9011YPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841211065669A
- Case key
- 12815
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 aircraft departed the airport with one dry air pump inoperative and the other pump reading low. Aircraft control was lost during an instrument approach in IMC approximately 2.5 hours later. Both pump driveshafts were found sheared in the wreckage and both broken shaft surfaces showed polished surfaces. During further testing it was discovered that tape or pipe dope had been used in the threading of the intake & outflow fittings of the left pump. No contaminants were found in the rt pump but the pump wall inner surfaces gap was apprx .005 in. This gap is approx 50 percent over the allowable tolerance for a serviceable air pump. The pressure regulator valve to the attitude indicator gyro & the compass gyro were examined & found to require pressure exceeding normal requirement standards.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9011Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3116
- Airframe hours
- 3,979
- Engine
- Lycoming TI0-540-A1A, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Richards Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 3, 1984 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- M08 · Bolivar, TN
- Destination
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PTK · Oakland Pontiac
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,247 total · 2,117 as pilot in command · 182 in the last 90 days · 104 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK, 3 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.