Piper PA-23-170 accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 9, 1982
On April 9, 1982 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-170, registered N3016P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tuscaloosa airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 9, 1982 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Tuscaloosa
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-170 · all PA-23-170s on the register
- Registration
- N3016P · no longer on the register · serial 23-925
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE PROP FEATHERED AFTER A VIBRATION WAS FELT. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TO ITS INTENDED DESTINATION. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE RIGHT PROP ROTATING WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH, EVEN THOUGH THE CREW HAD FEATHERED IT. AFTER LANDING, THE A&P CERTIFICATED, AIRPLANE OWNER BEGAN TROUBLESHOOTING THE VIBRATION PROBLEM. ONE BLADE FROM THE RT PROP SEPARATED WITH THE ENGINE AT 2000 RPM, PENETRATING A HANGAR AND THE WINDSHIELD OF A PARKED AIRPLANE. A SERIES OF FATIGUE CRACKS ON THE HUB, ORIGINATING AT OR NEAR THE HUB SURFACE, WERE LOCATED NEAR THE HUB SPIDER. THE PROPELLER HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO A GROUND STRIKE 217 HOURS BEFORE THE FAILURE. IT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AFTER INSPECTION AND OVERHAUL.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,251 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-340-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nashville TN at 10:00 am
- Destination: Tuscaloosa AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.