Piper PA-31-350 accident near Demopolis, Alabama, September 25, 1987
On September 25, 1987 at about 8:15 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N117EV, was destroyed in an accident near Demopolis, Alabama (Demopolis Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- September 25, 1987 · about 8:15 am local time
- Place
- Demopolis, Alabama · Demopolis Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N117EV · no longer on the register · serial 31-8152185
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRYING AN ESTIMATED 317 KILOS OF COCAINE WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT AN APT WHICH DID NOT HAVE A PUBLISHED INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE IN IMC. WITNESSES ESTIMATED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS NO MORE THAN 1/2 MILE IN FOG ABOUT 45 MIN AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE ABOUT 1,400 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD AND ABOUT 600 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE EXTENDED RUNWAY CENTERLINE. GROUND CONTACT WAS MADE ABOUT 380 FEET AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE TREE. THE AIRCRAFT BURNED AFTER GROUND IMPACT. PILOT FLIGHT TIME WAS OBTAINED FROM PILOT'S LAST CFI APPLICATION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming LTIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: 7A2 Demopolis AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from MEI
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.