Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, October 20, 1986
On October 20, 1986 at about 1:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N5260F, was destroyed in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville 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
- October 20, 1986 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N5260F · no longer on the register · serial 32-7680500
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED FOR THE LOCALIZER APPROACH TO RWY 31. THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIRPORT IN SIGHT. THE FLIGHT DESCENDED INTO THE CLOUD LAYER AND CRASHED ABOUT 1000 FEET SHORT OF THE MIDDLE MARKER. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT ANY AIRCRAFT PROBLEM. THE APPROACH MDA IS 1040 FEET. THERE WAS NO REPORTED CEILING AND THERE WAS A .25 MILE VISIBILITY. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT QUALIFIED.
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: 927 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1650 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Knoxville TN at 1:08 pm
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.