Piper PA-28-140 accident near Arcadia, Florida, September 26, 1986
On September 26, 1986 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N56522, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arcadia, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- September 26, 1986 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Arcadia, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N56522 · no longer on the register · serial 1407325048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ESTABLISHED IN CURISE FLIGHT THE ENGINE FAILED AND ALL ATTEMPTS TO START IT WERE TO NO AVAIL. THE PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING TO A SOFT FIELD AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #1 ENGINE EXHAUST VALVE HAD FAILED JUST ABOVE THE SKIRT AND HAD BEEN INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 665 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,522 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 22, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPG St.Petersburg FL at 5:15 pm
- Destination: MYGF Freeport OF
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:49 pm from FMY, 29 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.