- Date
- January 18, 1986, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mechanicsburg, OH
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3414WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860118002219A
- Case key
- 13413
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 on a personal flt when IMC was encountered. The plt elected to climb to a clear area above the IMC when the acft became totally 'socked in.' A 180 deg turn was made, vertigo was experienced and control of the acft was lost. An emergency descent was made and control of the acft was regained at 1500 ft MSL just below the cloud layer. IMC was entered again when the decision was made to make a precautionary landing as soon as possible. A pasture was selected and a landing was made. The right wing struck a post on rollout damaging the right wing and shearing off the right main gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3414W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32276
- Airframe hours
- 3,074
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Parks L. Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- I74 · Urbana, OH
- Destination
- 2I4 · Grove City, OH
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 245 total · 158 in this make and model · 245 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 32 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 N3414W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.