Piper PA-28-140 accident near Erwin, North Carolina, May 27, 1987
On May 27, 1987 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N1696T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erwin, North Carolina (Harnett County airport). It was an instructional 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1987 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Erwin, North Carolina · Harnett County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1696T · registry record · serial 287125013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT IMPACTED LEVEL GRASSY TERRAIN SHORT OF RWY 04, WHILE ON SHORT FINAL DURING A PRACTICE SHORT-FIELD LDG. THE CFI REPORTED THAT THE STUDENT PLT HAD STABILIZED THE ACFT ON THE APPCH AT 70 MPH; A HIGH SINK RATE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED AS THE ACFT CROSSED OVER A STEEP DROP-OFF LOCATED ABOUT 100 FT BEFORE THE THRESHOLD. THE CFI ASSUMED CONTROL OF THE ACFT, LOWERED THE NOSE AND APPLIED PWR, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE DESCENT. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN SLIGHTLY NOSE-DOWN. FULL FLAPS WERE IN USE AT THE TIME. THE CFI REPORTED THE WIND TO BE FROM 040 DEGREES AT 5 KTS WITH NO GUSTS. THE PIPER 140 OWNERS HANDBOOK LISTS 55 MPH AS THE POWER-OFF STALL SPEED, FOR A WINGS-LEVEL ACFT AT GROSS WEIGHT WITH FULL FLAPS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,335 hours in all; 518 in this make and model; 926 as pilot in command; 584 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,373 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 11, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harnett Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL87LA152.