Piper PA-32-300 accident near Canton, Georgia, June 24, 1984
On June 24, 1984 at about 8:31 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8640N, was destroyed in an accident near Canton, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- June 24, 1984 · about 8:31 am local time
- Place
- Canton, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8640N · no longer on the register · serial 32-7140033
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WITH A STUDENT PLT AT THE CONTROLS HAD AN IN-FLT BREAKUP DURING A NIGHT X-COUNTRY FLT. DURING A PREFLT WX BRIEFING, HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PLT TERMINATED THE CONVERSATION BEFORE THE BRIEFING WAS COMPLETED. WHILE IN FLT, THE PLT WAS IN RADIO & RADAR CONTACT WITH ATLANTA CENTER. AS THE FLT NEARED A THUNDERSTORM, THE PLT ASKED FOR RADAR ASSISTANCE. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ACFT ENTERED A RIGHT TURN, & AFTER ABOUT 270 DEG OF TURN, RADAR & RADIO CONTACT WERE LOST. PARTS OF THE ACFT WERE FOUND SCATTERED OVER A WIDE AREA IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE STABILATORS & WINGS HAD SEPARATED IN FLT. THERE WAS EVIDENCETHAT THEY HAD FAILED FROM OVERLOAD & THAT THE STABILATORS HAD FAILED DOWNWARD. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S LIVER FLUID SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.092%. THE PLT WAS NOT ENDORSED FOR THIS NIGHT X-COUNTRY FLT.
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: student
- Flight time: 79 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,796 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1983; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Circle C. Farms
The flight
- Departed from: RNC Mcminnville TN at 7:40 am
- Destination: FTY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 am from FTY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.