Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Lincoln, Nebraska, October 13, 1987
On October 13, 1987 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N39922, was destroyed in an accident near Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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 13, 1987 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N39922 · no longer on the register · serial 32R7887168
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMBOUT, SMOKE BEGAN FILLING THE CABIN AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENG STOPPED. GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT JUST BEFORE THE ACFT IMPACTED A LARGE WOODPILE BEHIND A HOUSE LOCATED 1/2 MILE EAST OF THE ARPT. EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THE LEFT INTERMEDIATE EXHAUST PIPE (90 DEGREE ELBOW) HAD SEPARATED FROM THE EXHAUST CROSSOVER TUBE LEADING TO THE TURBOCHARGER AND ALLOWED INTENSE, HOT EXHAUST GASES FLOWING FROM THE ELBOW TO SPEW DIRECTLY INTO THE ENG COMPARTMENT. THE FLANGE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ELBOW WAS CRACKED AND EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE GASKET, AS WELL AS THE FLANGES, HAD BEEN MISALLIGNED. A REPAIR HAD BEEN MADE TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,516 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1987; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LNK at 8:24 pm
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:40 pm from LNK, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.