Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Offerman, Georgia, August 14, 1987
On August 14, 1987 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N55649, was destroyed in an accident near Offerman, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- August 14, 1987 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Offerman, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N55649 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7335264
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LOCAL FLT THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT A LEVEL ATTITUDE APPROX 10 FT ABOVE A CORN FIELD AT HIGH SPEED. THE RIGHT WING OF THE ACFT STRUCK TREE BRANCHES APPROX 60 FT AGL DURING A PULL UP. A 6 FT SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED. THE ACFT CLIMBED, ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND NOSED INTO THE GROUND. SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST THE PILOT/CO-OWNEROF THE ACFT HAD CIRCLED OVERHEAD THE HOUSE OF A FRIEND WHO LIVED APPROX 300 YDS FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. SHE REPORTED THAT DURING PAST 'FLY-OVERS' THE ACFT HAD BEEN AT A SAFE ALTITUDE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS/FAILURES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,927 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 1987; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AYS Waycross GA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from AYS, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.