Piper PA-34-200 accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, November 14, 1987
On November 14, 1987 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N41298, was substantially damaged in an accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Murfreesboro Muni airport). It was a personal 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
- November 14, 1987 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Murfreesboro Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N41298 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7450106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RT WHEEL BRAKE FAILED WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING ON A PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NEAR THE END OF THE TAXIWAY, JUST AS THE PLT WAS ABOUT TO TURN THE AIRPLANE ONTO THE RWY. THE PLT SUBSEQUENTLY ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE AIRPLANE USING DIFFERENTIAL POWER. THE AIRPLANE CROSSED THE RWY AND RAN INTO TREES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PLT PULLED THE MIXTURE CONTROLS TO IDLE CUTOFF JUST BEFORE THE AIRPLANE RAN OFF THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO ONE OF THE WINGS. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE RT BRAKE REVEALED THAT THE BRAKE PADS WERE COMPLETELY WORN AWAY. THE ACFT RPTDLY UNDERWENT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION ABOUT 1 MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 194 in the last 90 days; 790 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,569 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 1987; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Coastal Flight Center, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.