Piper PA-18S accident near Carlisle, Mississippi, August 20, 1985
On August 20, 1985, a Piper PA-18S, registered N3267N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carlisle, Mississippi (Private Sod Strip airport). It was a personal 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
- August 20, 1985
- Place
- Carlisle, Mississippi · Private Sod Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18S · all PA-18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N3267N · no longer on the register · serial 3588
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER APRX 1 HR OF LCL FLT, THE 67 HR PVT PLT RETURNED TO HIS PVT GRASS STRIP FOR LANDING. HE MADE A FULL LEFT TRAFFIC PATTERN. AT THE 180 DEG POINT, CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED AND PWR REDUCED. AFTER TURNING FINAL AND LOWERING FULL FLAPS, THE PLT ADDED THROTTLE WITH NO RESPONSE. HE APPLIED FULL THROTTLE AND THE ENG COUGHED AND QUIT. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND 15 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE CARB WAS BROKEN FROM THE ACFT.
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: 67 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,534 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from JAN, 38 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.
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.