Piper PA-28-181 accident near Alexander City, Alabama, November 1, 1988
On November 1, 1988, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8211P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alexander City, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 1, 1988
- Place
- Alexander City, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8211P · no longer on the register · serial 28-8090300
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 10/31/88, THE PLT OBTAINED WX INFO & FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FM VERO BEACH, FL, TO HUNTSVILLE, AL. AT APRX 1513 EST, HECTCD ATC & RPRTD CLIMBING THRU 1500' FOR 3000'. ABOUT 2.4 HRS LATER, HE RPRTD A LOSS OF ENG PWR. VECTORS WERE PROVIDED TOWARD AN ARPT, BUT RADAR CTC WAS LOST ABT 13 MI SOUTH OF ALEXANDER CITY, AL. ON 11/16/90, THE ACFT WAS FND WHERE IT HADSANK IN 65' OF WATER IN MARTIN LAKE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACDNT. THE ENG WAS CHECKED ON A TEST STAND & IT OPERATED WITH THE ORIGINAL ACCESSORIES INSTALLED. PSNL AT THE DEP ARPT INDCD THE ACFT WOULD NORMALLY HAVE BEEN SVCD WITH THE NORMAL RAMP CAPACITY OF 50 GAL OF FUEL. FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS ESTD TO HAVE BEEN ABOUT 10.5 GAL/HR; HOWEVER, REFUELING RECORDS DID NOT VERIFY WHEN THE ACFT WAS LAST REFUELED. ALSO, THE WX COND WAS RPRTD TO HAVE BEEN CONDUCIVE TO CARB ICING.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 760 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sun Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: VRB Vero Beach FL at 9:10 pm
- Destination: HSV Huntsville AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:54 pm from MGM, 30 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.