Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Milwaukee, North Carolina, January 27, 1986
On January 27, 1986 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N222HD, was destroyed in an accident near Milwaukee, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 27, 1986 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Milwaukee, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N222HD · registry record · serial 32R-7887089
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO DESCEND AND LEVEL OFF AT LOW ALT. WITNESSES INDICATED THAT IT LEVELED OFF JUST ABOVE THE TREES, THEN ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND DOVE INTO WOODED TERRAIN. THE ENG WAS REPORTED TO BE RUNNING LOUD AND STEADY UNTIL IMPACT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. APRX 35 MI SW AT ROCKY MOUNT, NC, THE WX WAS, IN PART: 2500 FT BROKEN, VIS 7 MI, WIND FROM 300 DEG AT 12 GUSTING 20 KTS. FOR AN AREA TO THE WEST OF THE CRASH SITE, A SIGMET WAS IN EFFECT WHICH WARNED OF POSSIBLE MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY SEVERE TURBULENCE BELOW 8000 FT WITH LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR BELOW 2000 FT. HOWEVER, NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WX WAS VERIFIED. A TOXICOLOGY TEST SHOWED THAT THE PLT HAD 13.9 MG/L OF COCAINE IN HIS BLOOD.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 6,040 as pilot in command; 2,231 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,633 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1985; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sea Express,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Norfolk VA at 8:40 pm
- Destination: Ft.Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from RWI, 35 miles away
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.