Piper PA-25-235 N9867P

Summary

On 5 August 1987 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N9867P, operated by Towe Brothers, was involved in an accident near Ardmore, Alabama, 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

5 August 1987 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ardmore, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Ardmore (1M3)

Coordinates

34.9794, -86.8292

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N9867P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Towe Brothers

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL87LA226

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 ENGINE LOST PWR DURING INITIAL CLIMB AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT TURNED THE FUEL BOOST PUMP OFF. A FORCED LDG WAS SUBSEQUENTLY MADE ON A NEARBY INTERSTATE HWY. THE PLT DELAYED THE LDG TO AVOID HITTING AUTOS ON THE HWY AND A HARD LDG RESULTED. THE SUSPECTED CAUSE OF THE PWR LOSS WAS FUEL VAPOR LOCK. THE ENGINE WAS TEST-RUN AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND THAT NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS FUELED WITH 87 OCTANE AUTO GAS. THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 90 DEG F. THE ARPT ELEVATION IS 920 FT MSL. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE ARPT WAS CALCULATED TO BE APPROX 3,200 FT. ACCORDING TO FAA RECORDS, THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT STC'D TO OPERATE ON AUTO GAS. PIPER MANDATORY SERVICE BULLETIN #855 DATED 1-14-87 PROHIBITS THE USE OF AUTO FUEL IN PIPER AIRPLANES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.