Piper PA-32RT accident near Oelwein, Iowa, August 3, 1987
On August 3, 1987 at about 3:20 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT, registered N36646, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oelwein, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 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
- August 3, 1987 · about 3:20 am local time
- Place
- Oelwein, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT · all PA-32RTs on the register
- Registration
- N36646 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7887063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PERSONAL NIGHT X-C FLT, THE PLT NOTICED A GLOWING CONDITION IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND ALSO A LOSS OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. THE PLT SHUT THE FUEL OFF, PULLED THE MIXTURE TO CUTOFF, AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE ACFT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A CORNFIELD AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED A LOOSE EXHAUST MANIFOLD CONNECTION. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF A FIRE IN THE AREA OF THIS CONNECTION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,750 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 2,650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,380 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLD Fondulac WI at 1:45 am
- Destination: ALO Waterloo IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.