Piper PA-34-220T accident near Pickens, South Carolina, February 16, 1983
On February 16, 1983, a Piper PA-34-220T, registered N8472E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pickens, South Carolina (Pickens County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- February 16, 1983
- Place
- Pickens, South Carolina · Pickens County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T · all PA-34-220Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8472E · no longer on the register · serial 34-8233044
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TWO BIRDS WHILE CRUISING AT 6000 FT MSL. THE WEATHER WAS VFR BUT THE ACFT WAS ON IFR FLT PLAN. THE ACFTS LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE PLT STATED THAT ALTHOUGH HE HEARD A THUD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ACFT HE WAS UNAWARE OF DAMAGE UNTIL AFTER HE LANDED.
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: 572 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 479 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 489 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 1982; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TISO-360-KO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVL Ashville NC
- Destination: LQK Dickens SC
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.