Piper PA-24-250 accident near St Marys, Georgia, July 5, 1987
On July 5, 1987 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6165P, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Marys, Georgia (St Marys airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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 5, 1987 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- St Marys, Georgia · St Marys · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6165P · no longer on the register · serial 241266
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER RETURNING FM A LOCAL NGT FLT, THE ACFT WAS LNDD GEAR UP WHEN THE LNDG GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. THE ACFT BGN BURNING AFTER IT CAME TO REST. IT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY FIRE & THE CAUSE OF THE GEAR MALFUNCTION WAS NOT DETERMINED. LOCAL POLICE, WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT, NOTED 'AN ODOR, COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES' COMING FM THE PLT. HE WAS REMINDED OF THE GEORGIA IMPLIED CONSENT WARNING, BUT REFUSED TO PROVIDE A BLOOD SAMPLE FOR THE POLICE TO USE FOR A TOXICOLOGY TEST. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD ONLY A STUDENT LICENSE & HAD TAKEN THE ACFT WITHOUT THE OWNER'SPERMISSION. THE OWNER WAS AN ASSOCIATE OF THE PLT'S UNCLE. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS STATED THAT HE & THE PLT HAD BEEN 'DRINKING' & THEY DECIDED TO GO FLYING WITH 2 OTHER PERSONS. HE NOTED THAT WHEN THE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND, HE SAW A RED HANDLE THAT SAID 'EMERGENCY GEAR DOWN.' HE STATED 'I STARTED TO MESS WITH IT, BUT IT DID NOT DO ANY GOOD.' THE PLT STATED THE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND BY USING EITHER THE NORMAL OR MANUAL SYS. HE RPRTD ONLY 2 HRS FLT TIME IN PA-24 ACFT.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 79 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 44 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,696 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 am from JAX, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.