Piper PA-31T N74NL
30 December 1986 · Merrillville, Indiana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 30 December 1986 at about 07:54 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N74NL was involved in an accident near Merrillville, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 07:54
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Merrillville, Indiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.4706, -87.3206
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T
- Registration
- N74NL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Louisville → Chicago
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- CHI87FA058
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
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 ACFT WAS ENROUTE TO THE CHICAGO MIDWAY ARPT. WHILE LETTING DOWN TO 16000 FT THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS SHUTTING DOWN THE RIGHT ENG. ARTCC CLEARED THE ACFT TO 5000 FT. TEN MINUTES LATER ARTCC LOST RADIO TRANSPONDER AND MODE C CONTACT. 15 MINUTES LATER THE ACFT DESCENDED OUT OF THE 1800 FT OVERCAST AND STRUCK A 170 FT UTILITY TOWER AT THE 150 FT LEVEL. THE ACFT THEN GROUND IMPACTED AND BURNED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RT ENGINE HAD A BEARING FAILURE DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jan 1986 | Piper PA-31T | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Peachtree City Leasing, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 16 Dec 1985 | Piper PA-31T | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 1985 | Piper PA-31T | Utica, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Aug 1985 | Piper PA-31T | Flat Rock, North Carolina, United States | Hubert van Pittman | Fatal | 5 |
| 21 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-31T | Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 May 1987 | Piper PA-31T-620II | Cody, Wyoming, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jul 1986 | Cessna 150 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1986 | Mooney M20C | Loogootee, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Aug 1986 | Globe GC-1B | Perrysville, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1986 | Piper PA-28-140 | Westville, Indiana, United States | Mark Murvihill | Fatal | 4 |
| 18 May 1986 | Piper PA-34-200 | Angola, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Sep 1986 | Hughes 500 (369HS) | West Lafayette, Indiana, United States | R. J. Dubray | Minor injuries | - |