Piper PA-28R-201 accident near Ocklawaha, Florida, April 4, 1986
On April 4, 1986 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N742JM, was destroyed in an accident near Ocklawaha, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 4, 1986 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ocklawaha, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N742JM · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7737123
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PVT PLT REFUELED HIS ACFT THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FLT AND WAS OBSERVED TO DRAIN ONLY THE FIREWALL STRAINER. THE MORNING OF THE FLT HE DID NOT DRAIN ANY DRAINS. ABOUT HALF WAY TO HIS DESTINATION AN ENG PWR LOSS WAS EXPERIENCED, HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED AT AN INTERMEDIATE AIRFIELD. HE DID NOT SHUT DOWN THE ENG BUT RAN IT FOR APRX 15 TO 30 MINUTES AND HAD HIS WIFE EXIT TO ACFT AND CHECK THE FUEL QUANTITY IN THE LEFT TANK ONLY. THE PLT THEN DEPARTED AND WAS NEXT OBSERVED FLYING OVER HIS DESTINATION ARPT AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL. WITNESSES THEN HEARD THE ENG RAPIDLY LOSE PWR AND THE ACFT CRASHED INTO TREES. ONLY 1 AND 1/2 GALLONS OF FUEL WERE FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND THE ENG FUEL PUMP, FUEL CONTROL, FUEL CONTROL STRAINER AND FUEL INJECTOR DIVIDER BLOCK ALL HAD WATER IN THEM AND NO FUEL.
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
- Flight time: 305 hours in all; 29 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,346 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1985; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL
- Destination: Ocklawaha FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from GNV, 38 miles away
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.