Piper PA-34-200T accident near Salem, Arkansas, March 26, 1986
On March 26, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N2889M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, Arkansas (Salem airport). It was a positioning 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).
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
- March 26, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Arkansas · Salem · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2889M · no longer on the register · serial 34-780099
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDING ON A 2,050 BY 100 FT ASPHALT RWY. THE PLT SAID THE TOUCHDOWN WAS NOT HARD BUT NOT SMOOTH. THE ACFT TRAVELED ABOUT 300 FT AFTER TOUCHDOWN BEFORE THE R MLG COLLAPSED. THE BROKEN PARTS WHICH WERE REMOVED FROM THE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY WERE EXAMINED BY THE OPERATOR AND NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-ACCIDENT DAMAGE WAS NOTED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,689 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,447 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 2, 1985; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Evac Ems, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: H63 West Plains MO at 7:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.