- Date
- June 28, 1985, 10:09 local (15:09 UTC)
- Place
- Merom, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39554Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850628028469A
- Case key
- 12849
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 was on a visual flight from fairfield Iowa to indianapolis, IN and was about 55 mautical miles south of course when the aircraft broke up in flight. The main wreckage, empennage, and outer wing sections landed within about a quarter of a mile of each other in Merom, Indiana. Weather and rain showers were n the area at the time. The flight was not on a flight plan at the time and the non-instrument rated pilot last reported his altitude as 12,500 feet. FAA flight service station personnel had briefed the pilot on marginal VFR conditions enroute and recommended a more northerly course.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39554
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300T (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7887107
- Airframe hours
- 860
- Engine
- Lycoming TI0-540-51AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Samuel P. Rozen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 28, 1985 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- FFL · Fairfield, IA
- Destination
- Indianapolis, IN
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 277 total · 125 in this make and model · 222 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.