Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Sebring, Ohio, October 9, 1987
On October 9, 1987 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N2802R, was destroyed in an accident near Sebring, Ohio (Tri-City 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).
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
- October 9, 1987 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Sebring, Ohio · Tri-City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N2802R · no longer on the register · serial 28R-35290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL APPCH TO LAND, A FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE AIRPLANE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE COMMERCIAL PLT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR EVACUATED THE AIRPLANE AFTER LDG AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY EXAMINED BY AN IA MECHANIC WHO REPORTED THAT HE FOUND A SUSPICIOUS HOLE (OR SPLIT) IN THE FUEL LINE RUNNING FROM THE FUEL INJECTOR SERVO TO THE FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. HE BASED THIS ON THE REPORT OF FLAMES BEFORE LANDING, THE SPEED WITH WHICH THE FIRE SPREAD, 'AND THE FACT THAT THE PILOTS TURNED OFF THE MASTER BUT NOT THE FUEL SUPPLY, POINT TOWARD A FUEL FIRE.'
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 314 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 201 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,800 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.