- Date
- May 13, 1987, 07:20 local (11:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sayre, PA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N32774Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30498
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
Drg initial climb after takeoff, smoke was observed in the cockpit. When the smoke became hvy, the plt decided to land. He attempted a forced landing on rising terrain in foggy conds. Subsequently, the acft crashed into the side of the hill & began burning. Drg the investigation, arcing type burns were found around the bolt & nut at the T1 terminal. Also, the eyelet fittings on the ends of 2 wires that attached at that location were badly burned. The specific reason for the arcing was not determined. The plt did not have a current biennial flt review or air taxi/operating certificate.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32774
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7540064
- Airframe hours
- 2,233
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Larry D. Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 26, 1986 · 125 hours before
- Departed
- N32 · Sayre, PA
- Destination
- Washington, DC
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,212 total · 1,096 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELM, 22 nm away