Piper PA-34-200T accident near Covington, Tennessee, March 22, 2008
On March 22, 2008 at about 3:06 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N66AH, was destroyed in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Covington, Tennessee (Covington Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A fire of undetermined origin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2008 · about 3:06 am local time
- Place
- Covington, Tennessee · Covington Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N66AH · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing takeoffs and landings at night, the pilot departed his home base, landed at an intermediate airport, and then flew to a third airport. As the pilot taxied the airplane for the next departure, he saw a flicker of light in his peripheral vision, then looked aft, and saw a flame behind the aft cabin seats. He immediately shut down both engines and exited the airplane. He looked into the cabin through the aft-most, co-pilot side window and saw flames reaching up to about the bottom of the window. The airplane was subsequently consumed by the fire. Examination of the airplane's combustion-type heater, which was located in the area where the pilot reported seeing the fire, and which was operating at the time of the accident, revealed that it exhibited severe thermal damage throughout its entire assembly. None of the fire damage on the exterior of the heater could be identified as causal or associated with the initiation of a fire. The combustion heater was completely disassembled, and no point of origin for the fire was found. The airplane's maintenance records were onboard the airplane at the time of the fire, and were not recovered, therefore the maintenance history of the heater and its components could not be verified.
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
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360; 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Covington TN
- Destination: 2M8 Millington TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from NQA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N66AH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.