Piper PA-24-260 accident near Tallahassee, Florida, May 15, 1986
On May 15, 1986 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9491P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida (Tallahassee Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1986 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · Tallahassee Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9491P · registry record · serial 24-5008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN THE ACFT'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED DUE TO INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE ALTERNATOR. THE PLT FAILED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR BY THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION HANDLE AND A GEAR UP LANDING RESULTED.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,032 hours in all; 1,687 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 1,697 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,698 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1986; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-N1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTH Marathon FL at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 6,070 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from TLH
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA86LA159.