Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Charleston, Tennessee, September 4, 1988
On September 4, 1988 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N1281T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charleston, Tennessee. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- September 4, 1988 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N1281T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7235254
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT HE HAD A PARTIAL THEN TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. DURING THE OFF- AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING ON A WET, GRASSY FIELD, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE SLIDING INTO A CULVERT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT BOTH BELTS FOR THE ACCESSORY DRIVE WERE MISSING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING FERRIED TO NEW OWNERS.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 577 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 159 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 533 as pilot in command; 42 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,506 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB Columbia SC at 2:05 pm
- Destination: CHA Chattanooga TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from CHA, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.