Piper PA-32-260 N4862S

Summary

On 9 November 1985 at about 18:12 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N4862S, operated by George D. Price, ET al, was involved in an accident near Sorrento, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

9 November 1985 at 18:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Sorrento, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.8097, -81.4895

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N4862S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

George D. Price, ET al

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Panama City → Ft. Pierce

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA86FA028

3 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE FLT WAS ON A VFR X-COUNTRY AT 9500 FT WITH ATC FLT FOLLOWING.THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT ADVISED ATC THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR & CLIMBED TO 11,000 FT. HE AGAIN AVISED HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR & WAS GOING TO DESCEND. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY ATC TO ENTER A LEFT TURN FROM SSE THROUGH NORTH THROUGH WEST, WHERE IT DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE. A PLT WITNESS ON THE GROUND HEARD THE ACFT IN THE CLOUDS AS ENGINE POWER WAS INCREASED & DECREASED, THEN OBSERVED THE ACFT EMERGE FROM THE CLOUD BASE IN A SPIN WITH A PORTION OF THE RIGHT WING MISSING. THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A SWAMP KILLING ALL 3 OCCUPANTS.ON THE PREVIOUS DAY, A MECHANIC HAD ADVISED THE PLT THAT THE ENGINE DRIVEN VACCUM PUMP WAS INOP. THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR & HEADING INDICATOR ARE VACCUM POWERED. THE GROUND WITNESS STATED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, IT WAS VFR AT GROUND LEVEL WITH THE CLOUD BASE ESTIMATED AT 2000 FT & VISIBILITY AT LEAST 5 MI.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.