Piper PA-32-300 accident near Birmingham, Alabama, April 11, 1986
On April 11, 1986 at about 2:27 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4087W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Birmingham, Alabama (Birmingham Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- April 11, 1986 · about 2:27 am local time
- Place
- Birmingham, Alabama · Birmingham Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4087W · no longer on the register · serial 32-40141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF PILOT NOTED LOSS OF ENGINE OIL PRESSURE.ENGINE SIEZED AND PILOT LANDED SHORT OF RUNWAY. A/C HIT ILS ANTENNA DURING LANDING ROLL, SEVERED RIGHT WING. ENGINE OIL COOLER LINE BURST DUE TO AGING. LINE WAS FABRICATED IN THE 1ST QTR 0F 1972. OIL COOLER WAS REPLACED DURING LAST 100 HOUR INSPECTION ON JUNE 20, 1986.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,867 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1985; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pb & P Aviation Associates
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 2:15 am
- Destination: 02J Cordele GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 am from BHM, 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.