- Date
- October 31, 1985, 08:29 local (13:29 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N24MSPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851031057289A
- Case key
- 31544
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
Aircraft disappeared from radar while operating in an area of level 3, 4, and 5 thunderstorms associated with tropical storm juan. A search by the u. s. coast guard resulted in no aircraft wreckage being found. The aircraft is missing and the pilot is presumed dead.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24MS
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970302
- Airframe hours
- 1,800
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 23, 1984 · 120 hours before
- Departed
- SRQ · Sarasota, FL
- Destination
- CSG · Columbus, GA
- 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 395 total · 100 in this make and model · 310 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 59 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.