- Date
- June 27, 1985, 23:35 local (Jun 28, 1985, 03:35 UTC)
- Place
- Oxford, OH
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9459KPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850627028729A
- Case key
- 13114
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
While on a round-robin flight at night the pilot experienced an alternator failure. As he was returning to his point of origin the battery power depleted leaving him with no radios or landing light and only a flashlight for cockpit lighting. He decided to land at the closest available airport but as he was on short final the runway lights went out. He couldn't turn them back on due to his electrical failure. He performed a go-around but bounced off the runway into two fences on his subsequent landing. A post-accident maint examination of the aircraft revealed a broken field wire on the alternator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9459K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7690252
- Airframe hours
- 3,141
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Sturgeon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 1984 · 203 hours before
- Departed
- RID · Richmond, IN
- Destination
- RID · Richmond, IN
- Airport
- OXD · Miami Univ. Airport, runway 22, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 86 total · 42 in this make and model · 48 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 45° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.