Piper PA-23 accident near Toledo, Ohio, March 13, 1986
On March 13, 1986 at about 10:00 am local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N3124P, was involved in an accident near Toledo, Ohio (Toledo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- March 13, 1986 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Toledo, Ohio · Toledo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N3124P · no longer on the register · serial 23-1047
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N3124P CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING AN ILS APPROACH TO RWY 07 AT EXPRESS AIRPORT IN TOLEDO, OH. THE PILOT HAD ATTEMPTED AN APPROACH AT METCALF AIRPORT BUT MISSED THE APPROACH BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 1 MILE SHORT OF THE AIRPORT IN A WOODED AREA. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 1200 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE EXAMINATION ALSO FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE EXAMINATION OF THE ILS SYSTEM ALSO FAILED TO INDICATE THAT IT HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THE DECISION HEIGHT FOR THIS APPROACH IS 883 FEET MSL. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED WHY THE PILOT DESCENDED BELOW THE DECISION HEIGHT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,973 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 3,173 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CLE Cleveland OH at 8:45 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 8,699 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 am from TOL, 1 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.