Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina, March 12, 1988
On March 12, 1988 at about 6:29 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N8727E, was destroyed in an accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- March 12, 1988 · about 6:29 pm local time
- Place
- Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8727E · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680162
- 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 AND A CERTIFICATED PILOT/PAX DEPARTED THE ROCK HILL APT FOR A LOCAL MAINT TEST FLT FOLLOWING AN ENGINE OVERHAUL AND INSTALLATION. ABOUT 10 MINUTES INTO THE FLT, THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO AND A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER FOLLOWED. THE PLT RADIOED THE INFORMATION TO THE DEPARTURE ARPT AND ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING IN A LARGE PASTURE WITH FENCES. THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN WAS ABOUT 1746 FT PAST A TREE LINE AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH AN EARTH MOUND 961 FT PAST THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN POINT, ROLLED INVERTED AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN 300 FT PAST THE EARTH MOUND. TOTAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TREE LINE AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELDS AND THE STOPPING POINT WAS ABOUT 3,091 FT. THE LATTER PORTION OF THE PATH WAS MORE STEEPLY DOWNSLOPING THAN THE FIRST 2,150 FT. POST ACC EXAM REVEALED AN OIL LINE WHICH SHOWED EVIDENCE OF NOT HAVING BEEN PROPERLY CONNECTED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,855 hours in all; 390 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 1,743 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,931 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 1987; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 29J Rock Hill SC at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from CLT, 16 miles away
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.