Piper PA-23-250 N54244

Summary

On 6 February 1983 at about 13:00 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N54244 was involved in an accident near St. Joseph, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 February 1983 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Joseph, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Circle E

Coordinates

35.0292, -87.4902

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-250

Registration

N54244

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL83LA100

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE AIRCRAFT OVERRAN THE END OF THE RUNWAY DURING A NIGHT LANDING IN IMC WEATHER. THE RUNWAY WAS A PRIVATE DIRT STRIP. FLIGHT PURPOSE IS NOT KNOWN BUT IT IS SUSPECTED IT WAS A DRUG SMUGGLING FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED LONG ON THE 2400 FOOT STRIP AND WENT OFF THE END ACROSS A ROAD, THROUGH A FENCE AND INTO SMALL PINE TREES BEFORE STOPPING 1200 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THREE MEN IN TWO VEHICLES FOLLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND HELPED THE PILOT UNLOAD SEVERAL SMALL BROWN PACKAGES BEFORE ALL OF THEM ABANDONED THE AIRCRAFT. THE OWNER IN FLORIDA CLAIMED THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOLEN TWO DAYS PRIOR TO ACCIDENT FROM A LOCKED HANGER. NEITHER THE HANGER NOR THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED ANY SIGNS OF FORCED ENTRY. ALSO THE AIRCRAFT HAD SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT ON BOARD WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN 5 DAYS TO INSTALL. THE OWNER CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE EQUIPMENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.