Piper PA-28-160 accident near Dozier, Alabama, July 23, 1986
On July 23, 1986 at about 2:45 am local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5041W, was destroyed in an accident near Dozier, Alabama. 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
- July 23, 1986 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Dozier, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5041W · no longer on the register · serial 28-43
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT AND HIS PAX WERE ON A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLT WHEN HE RAN ONE FUEL TANK DRY AND THE ENG SPUTTERED. HE SWITCHED TO THE OTHER TANK AND THE ENG CAUGHT FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN QUIT. HE LET DOWN OVER A HEAVILY FORESTED AREA AND STALLED THE ACFT INTO THE TREES. AN INSPECTION OF THE ACFT AFTER THE CRASH REVEALED NO PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM. LATER THE OWNER REPORTED THAT HE FOUND THE CRANKSHAFT OF THE ENG BROKEN BUT IT DID NOT SHOW DAMAGE THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT IT BROKE WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING.
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: 94 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 68 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Andalusia AL at 2:15 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from DHN, 36 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.