Piper PA-31-350 accident near Union City, Tennessee, November 20, 1988
On November 20, 1988, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N27947, was substantially damaged in an accident near Union City, Tennessee (Everett-Stewart airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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
- November 20, 1988
- Place
- Union City, Tennessee · Everett-Stewart · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N27947 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7952058
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC MADE TWO SDF APPROACHES. ON THE FIRST APPROACH HE HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING THE RWY LIGHTS. THE ACFT WAS ALIGNED LEFT OF RWY AND A MISSED APPROACH WAS MADE. ON THE SECOND APPROACH THE PIC SAID HE HAD DIFFICULTY PICKING UP ANY RWY LIGHTS. HE LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR & LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN WHEN THE PILOT THOUGHT THAT HE WAS STILL 15 FEET ABOVE RWY. RAIN OBSCURED THE WINDSHIELD. NO APPROACH LIGHTS WERE INSTALLED AT THE AIRPORT. THE RWY LIGHTS WOULD TRIP THE CB IF SET ABOVE 10% ILLUMINATION; PIC WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THE AIRPORT WAS THE PIC'S HOME BASE AND NEXT NEAREST AIRPORT WAS 30 NM SW.
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: 2,742 hours in all; 835 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,610 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,986 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 1988; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2D8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: James And Vaughn Leasing
The flight
- Departed from: TYS Knoxville TN at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.