Piper PA-34-200T accident near Gulf Of Mexico, October 31, 1985
On October 31, 1985 at about 1:29 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N24MS, was destroyed in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 31, 1985 · about 1:29 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N24MS · no longer on the register · serial 34-7970302
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR WHILE OPERATING IN AN AREA OF LEVEL 3, 4, AND 5 THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM JUAN. A SEARCH BY THE U. S. COAST GUARD RESULTED IN NO AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE BEING FOUND. THE AIRCRAFT IS MISSING AND THE PILOT IS PRESUMED DEAD.
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: 395 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 310 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 1984; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ Sarasota FL at 12:50 pm
- Destination: CSG Columbus GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:48 pm from PIE, 59 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.