- Date
- August 22, 1986, 15:06 local (19:06 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Dix, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8734PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30200
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 acft was headed sw on victor sixteen inbound to coyle VOR when the plt reported the loss of gyro instruments. The acft was at 6000 ft and in 'solid IFR weather.' The plt elected not to declare emergency and land when asked if he wanted to do so by ATC. The plt stated that he would continue the flight. Shortly after the plt reported loss of gyro instruments the acft began to lose altitude and veer off of course. ATC informed the plt of the acft deviation and the plt responed that he would take corrective action. The acft continued to deviate until it had descended to 5200 ft when the plt radioed an abruptly ended transmission: '...I'm in trouble.' There was no further transmission from the plt. The acft collided with the ground in a wooded area and the wreckage was strewn a distance of about 1700 ft in a northernly direction. There was wing, tail and fuselage separation of the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8734P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 244184
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Norman A.Sharpless/Wm.Shirey
- Registered owner
- N.A. Sharpless/W.R. Shirey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
- Destination
- SBY · Salisbury, MD
- 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,474 total · 1,347 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WRT, 3 nm away
Other investigations on N8734P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.