- Date
- August 28, 1987, 12:21 local (16:21 UTC)
- Place
- Kings Point, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3025WPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870828048429A
- Case key
- 30509
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
N3025W departed on a ferry flight with an unsecured, temporarily installed fuselage fuel tank. A computed c.g. at takeoff showed the aircraft about .9 inches aft of the aft limit. The aircraft had climbed to 7000 feet when the controller saw the aircraft making erratic turns. The pilot said 'we have problems.' There were no further communications with N3025W. The aircraft subsequently broke-up in flight. The forecast the pilot received included moderate turbulence and rainshowers. The ferry tank installation had not been approved. The pilot was new to this type of work and reportedly did not know how to work the ferry tank system. The takeoff position of the ferry tank was estimated. It had been pushing out the fuselage baggage door and had to be pushed back in after being filled. It was considered likely that the unsecured tank would have migrated, changing the c.g. in flight, altering longitudinal control forces, and causing pitch control problems in turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3025W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7931125
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Franklin Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1987
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- YQB · Quebec
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,487 total · 12 in this make and model · 1,358 as pilot in command · 131 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGA, 7 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.