- Date
- March 12, 1985, 20:08 local (Mar 13, 1985, 01:08 UTC)
- Place
- Toledo, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7241PPiper PA-24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850312011139A
- Case key
- 12821
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 plt was obsvd taking medication within 2 hrs bfr flt. A witness identified 1 pill as darvocet-n 100, since she took the same medication. When the plt started the eng, it went to a very hi RPM, as if the throttle was too FAR open. While taxiing to takeoff, the acft nearly hit a parked acft, went off the taxiway & came alarmingly close to a tractor. On a local flt to a nearby arpt at ngt, the plt's speach was slurred & erratic, & he could not find the destn arpt. Twr psnl at the destn arpt identified the acft by using their brite radar & could clearly see the acft lgts. They tried to vectorthe acft to the arpt, but the plt did not flw drctns. Subsequently, the acft impacted the gnd near the edge of a floodedfield, while dscndg with the gear extended, aprx 5 mi sw of the arpt. An unidentified barbituate was fnd in the plt's gastric contents. His doctor had prescribed talwin & darvocet-n 100 for back pain. The medicine could have caused dis- orientation & drowiness. Tox chk of his blood was neg for drugs, alcohol & carbon monoxide. Insuf urine for drug chk.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7241P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2415
- Airframe hours
- 2,609
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard A. Sypert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1984 · 135 hours before
- Departed
- TDZ · Toledo, OH
- Destination
- TOL
- Airport
- TOL · Toledo Express
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,900 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 270° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TOL, 7 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.