Piper PA-22-135 accident near Geneva, Alabama, December 13, 1987
On December 13, 1987 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-135, registered N3512A, was destroyed in an accident near Geneva, Alabama. 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
- December 13, 1987 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Geneva, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-135 · all PA-22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N3512A · no longer on the register · serial 22-1784
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE ACDNT, A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT FLYING ACROSS AN OPEN FIELD AT A VERY LOW ALT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH THE TOPS OF SEVERAL PINE TREES AT ABOUT 90 TO 95 FT AGL, THEN IT CRASHED TO THE GROUND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. THE PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY HELD A STUDENT PLT/MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WHICH HAD EXPIRED. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS OF THE PLT'S BLOOD & URINE WERE MADE AT 2 LABS. ONE LAB RPRTD THE BLOOD CONTAINED 1.6 MG/L OF BUTALBITAL. THE OTHER LAB RPRTD A BUTALBITAL CONTENT OF 3 MG/L AND RPRTD THAT THIS WOULD BE IN THE THERAPEUTIC RANGE. ALSO, SALICYLATE WAS DETECTED IN HIS URINE. BUTALBITAL IS A MEMBER OF THE BARBITURATE GROUP OF MEDICATION & TYPICALLY HAS UNWANTED SIDE EFFECTS OF DROWSINESS & LOSS OF ALERTNESS.
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
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,521 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 33J Geneva AL at 9:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from DHN, 27 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.