- Date
- December 13, 1987, 16:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Geneva, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3512APiper PA-22-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 1, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871213070089A
- Case key
- 31999
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
Prior to the acdnt, a witness saw the acft flying across an open field at a very low alt. Subsequently, it collided with the tops of several pine trees at about 90 to 95 ft AGL, then it crashed to the ground. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was evident. The plt had previously held a student plt/medical certificate which had expired. Toxicology checks of the plt's blood & urine were made at 2 labs. One lab rprtd the blood contained 1.6 mg/l of butalbital. The other lab rprtd a butalbital content of 3 mg/l and rprtd that this would be in the therapeutic range. Also, salicylate was detected in his urine. Butalbital is a member of the barbiturate group of medication & typically has unwanted side effects of drowsiness & loss of alertness.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3512A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-1784
- Airframe hours
- 2,521
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Daniel Campbell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 33J · Geneva, AL
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
- 37
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 50 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 90° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DHN, 27 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 N3512A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.