- Date
- November 9, 1985, 13:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Sorrento, FL
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4862SPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851109076609A
- Case key
- 31472
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 flt was on a VFR x-country at 9500 ft with ATC flt following. The non-instrument rated plt advised ATC that he was unable to maintain VFR & climbed to 11,000 ft. he again avised he was unable to maintain VFR & was going to descend. The acft was observed by ATC to enter a left turn from sse through north through west, where it disappeared from the radar scope. A plt witness on the ground heard the acft in the clouds as engine power was increased & decreased, then observed the acft emerge from the cloud base in a spin with a portion of the right wing missing. The acft crashed into a swamp killing all 3 occupants. On the previous day, a mechanic had advised the plt that the engine driven vaccum pump was inop. The attitude indicator & heading indicator are vaccum powered. The ground witness stated that at the time of the accident, it was VFR at ground level with the cloud base estimated at 2000 ft & visibility at least 5 mi.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4862S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-1297
- Airframe hours
- 2,193
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- George D. Price, Et Al
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 1985 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- PFN · Panama City, FL
- Destination
- FPR · Ft. Pierce, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORL, 19 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 N4862S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.