- Date
- November 4, 1987, 11:18 local (17:18 UTC)
- Place
- Fulton, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3666WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871104062269A
- Case key
- 22524
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
Acft departed in conditions of low ceiling and visibility with a student plt and pax on board. Witnesses at the arpt estimated the ceiling as 150 to 300 ft ovc with 1/8 to 1/4 mile vis in fog. After lift off the acft entered the fog in a rt climbing turn and reappeared over the runway heading in the opposite direction at very low altitude. Witnesses on the beach, about 1/2 mile from the arpt stated that the weather was 'poor and foggy'. They observed the acft impact the water in a rt bank and disappear. Investigation revealed that the eng driven vacuum pump was inoperative at the time of t/o. the pump had a sheared drive shaft that exhibited considerable wear. In addition, the pump vanes were excessively worn and one vane was found jammed between the rotor and the case. Detailed examination of the pump revealed that it had been inoperative for some time prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3666W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-574
- Airframe hours
- 5,423
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- C. F. Brown, doing business as Brown Construction Co.
- Registered owner
- Brown, C.F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 4, 1986 · 102 hours before
- Departed
- RKP · Rockport, TX
- Destination
- Freeport, TX
- Airport
- RKP · Aransas County, runway 26, 4,500 × 150 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 4 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °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.