- Date
- October 13, 1985, 22:40 local (Oct 14, 1985, 03:40 UTC)
- Place
- Killeen, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N84691Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851013051489A
- Case key
- 21984
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 stopped enroute to refuel. Fuel service at the airport and already closed for the night so the pilot drained about 10 gallons of fuel into his airplane from a parked Cessna airplane and departed for his destination. However, this amount of fuel was slightly less than that which was needed to reach his destination airport. The aircraft descended over a heavily wooded area and was slowed to about 45-50 knots, and just before impact the control yoke was pulled fully rearward and held in that position in an effort to help reduce the forces of impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84691
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-82-16067
- Airframe hours
- 1,240
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- The Plane Thing, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 8, 1985 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- F41 · Ennis, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ILE · Killeen Municipal, runway 17, 5,000 × 100 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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 18 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILE, 1 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.