Piper PA-28-140 accident near Oak Mountain, Alabama, December 23, 1983
On December 23, 1983 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N56494, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oak Mountain, Alabama. It was a personal 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
- December 23, 1983 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Oak Mountain, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N56494 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7325640
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT ARRIVED AT A CHECK POINT 18 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. APRX 25 MIN LATER, HE TUNED IN AN INCORRECT VOR FREQUENCY THAT HE HAD WRITTEN DOWN ON HIS FLT PLAN. THE STATION THAT HE TUNED IN WAS EAST OF THE DESIRED STATION & THE GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES IN THE AREA WERE SIMILAR. WHEN THE PLT REALIZED HE WAS OFF COURSE, HIS REMAINING FUEL SUPPLY WAS LOW. HE TRIED TO FLY TO THE NEAREST ARPT, BUT FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED FIRST. HE THEN MADE AN EMERGENCY, NIGHT APCH TO A HIGHWAY, BUT WAS FROCED TO LAND ON THE SHOULDER DUE TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, THE NOSEWHEEL SANK INTO MUD & THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 151 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,191 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL
- Destination: 21A Alabaster AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 25 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.