Piper PA-23 accident near Louisville, Kentucky, April 25, 1982
On April 25, 1982 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N1227P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1982 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N1227P · no longer on the register · serial 23-247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING LEVEL FLIGHT AT 9000 FT, HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, FOLLOWED BY A VIBRATION FOR 15 TO 20 SECONDS. HE DIVERTED AND LANDED AT LOUISVILLE, KY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE RUDDER TRIM TAB ACTUATOR ARM HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TAB. ALSO, THE TAB AND MOST OF THE RUDDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE VERTICLE STABILIZER. MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED IN THE AREA OF THE RUDDER TRIM TAB ACTUATOR ARM ATTACH AREA. FOUR POPPED RIVETS HAD BEEN USED TO ATTACH A SKIN PATCH (UNDER THE RUDDER TRIM TAB BRACKET). EIGHT RIVETS WERE USED TO ATTACH THE BRACKET TO THE TRIM TAB. NONE OF THE 12 RIVETS MET THE STANDARD OF DEFORMING/EXPANDING THE RIVET TO 1 AND 1/2 TIMES THE ORIGINAL DIAMETER. AN EXAMINATION OF THE LOGBOOKS FAILED TO REVEAL WHEN THE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,558 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-340-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Suncoast Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Indianapolis IN
- Destination: Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 122°F (50°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.