- Date
- June 13, 1986, 13:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Huffman, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3539KPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860613024139A
- Case key
- 21910
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 pilot was being vectored around thunderstorms in the area just prior to the accident. During the last radio contact the pilot was issued a vector to the destination airport. During this turn, for unknown reasons, the pilot lost control of the aircraft and descended from the assigned altitude of 6,000 ft MSL to the ground in approximately 40 seconds. The aircraft reportedly was in clear weather conditions at this time and had not encountered adverse weather during the entire flight. The pilot did not mention any problems during the radio tramsnission with ATC. Impact in a shallow lake occurred while in a near vertical nose down attitude at a high rate of speed. The right propeller was found to have been feathered at the time of impact while the left propeller was set in the cruise range. No evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction of the right engine or propeller was discovered during post accident tests. Path and toxi exams revealed no physiological factors. Plts flt time records not available at time of investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3539K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7912116
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southern Enterprises, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LCH · Lake Charles, LA
- Destination
- HOU · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAH, 14 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.