ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37047
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| Date: | Friday 13 June 1986 |
| Time: | 13:03 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Southern Enterprises Inc |
| Registration: | N3539K |
| MSN: | 31-7912116 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Engine model: | LYCOMING TIO-540-J2BD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lake Houston, Huffman, Harris County, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Lake Charles Regional Airport, Lake Charles, Louisiana (LCH/KLCH) |
| William P. Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas (HOU/KHOU) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
THE PILOT WAS BEING VECTORED AROUND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. DURING THE LAST RADIO CONTACT THE PILOT WAS ISSUED A VECTOR TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. DURING THIS TURN, FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND DESCENDED FROM THE ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF 6,000 FEET AMSL TO THE GROUND IN APPROXIMATELY 40 SECONDS.
THE AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY WAS IN CLEAR WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME AND HAD NOT ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE WEATHER DURING THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. THE PILOT DID NOT MENTION ANY PROBLEMS DURING THE RADIO TRANSMISSION WITH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. IMPACT IN A SHALLOW LAKE [LAKE HOUSTON] OCCURRED WHILE IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. BOTH PERSONS ON BOARD [PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER] WERE KILLED.
THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS FOUND TO HAVE BEEN FEATHERED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT WHILE THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS SET IN THE CRUISE RANGE. NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE OR PROPELLER WAS DISCOVERED DURING POST ACCIDENT TESTS. PATH AND TOXICOLOGY EXAMINATIONS REVEALED NO PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS. PILOTS FLIGHT TIME RECORDS NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF INVESTIGATION.
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: FTW86FA107 at https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X33856
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=3539K
3. http://planecrashmap.com/plane/tx/N3539K/
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1986/archives/crash-of-a-piper-pa-31-navajo-chieftain-in-texas-2-killed/]
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Houston
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-Jun-2015 18:21 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Oct-2017 23:30 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source] |
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