Piper PA-60-600 accident near Tallahassee, Florida, October 2, 1986
On October 2, 1986 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-60-600, registered N217HM, was destroyed in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida (Tallahassee Commercial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 2, 1986 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · Tallahassee Commercial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-600 · all PA-60-600s on the register
- Registration
- N217HM · no longer on the register · serial 60-0236-098
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED SEEING THE ACFT ENTER A LEFT DOWNWIND APCH TO RWY 16, TURN BASE TO FINAL NORMALLY THEN VEER TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE & DISAPPEAR BEHIND A LINE OF TREES & CRASH APRX 500 FEET EAST OF RWY 16. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE LEFT ENGINE WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SERVO FUEL MIXTURE AND IDLE SPEED SETTINGS WERE MISADJUSTED.
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: 3,500 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1F5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 pm from TLH
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.