Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Attalla, Alabama, January 16, 1984
On January 16, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N31844, was destroyed in an accident near Attalla, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 16, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Attalla, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N31844 · no longer on the register · serial 32RT7885132
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A VOR APPROACH TO LAND IN IMC WX, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT HAD FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN ON THIS AND OTHER OCCASIONS EVEN THOUGH HE WAS NOT QUALIFIED. DURING THIS APPROACH, THE DESCENT WAS CONTINUED PAST THE MDA OF 960 FT. FIELD ELEVATION WAS 569 FT. NO MALFUNCTIONS OF EQUIPMENT OR PHYSICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,216 hours in all; 65 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 996 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1983; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K165D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Myers FL at 9:44 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from GAD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N31844 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.