Piper PA-30 accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, January 7, 1986
On January 7, 1986 at about 4:17 am local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N47KB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Douglas-Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
- January 7, 1986 · about 4:17 am local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Douglas-Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N47KB · no longer on the register · serial 30-1205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT REPORTED LOSS OF POWER ON THE RIGHT ENG AT ABOUT 20 FT ALT ON TAKEOFF. THE ACFT VEERED RIGHT, THE PLT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF RWY. THE ACFT STRUCK A MOUND OF DIRT AND THE LDG GEAR COLLAPSED. THE TAKEOFF WAS INITIATED FROM AN INTERSECTION ON THE RWY RESULTING IN 3945 FT RWY FOR THE TAKEOFF. RWY LENGTH IS 7845 FT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,161 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 2,161 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,237 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 23, 1985; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 7,845 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 am from CLT
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.