Piper PA-24 accident near Livingston, Tennessee, March 7, 1996
On March 7, 1996 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Piper PA-24, registered N7913P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Livingston, Tennessee (Livingston airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to see-and-avoid obstructions (electrical lines), while on final approach to land after encountering icing conditions and diverting to a new destination (alternate airport).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1996 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Livingston, Tennessee · Livingston · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24 · all PA-24s on the register
- Registration
- N7913P · no longer on the register · serial 3144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instrument flight rules flight from Wheeling, Illinois, to Athens, Georgia, the pilot encountered severe icing conditions and elected to make a precautionary landing at Livingston, Tennessee. He stated that while on final approach, he failed to see electrical wires and telephone poles at the approach end of the runway. The airplane struck the wires, then collided with the ground. The pilot did not report any mechanical difficulty with the airplane during the flight.
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: 1,880 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,880 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,548 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1995; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,990 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-AID5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 2:45 pm
- Destination: AHN Athens GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 2,998 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from 8A3
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.