- Date
- October 14, 1988, 05:05 local (10:05 UTC)
- Place
- Alexandria, MN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8088PPiper PA-24-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881014070779A
- Case key
- 14300
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Poor judgement of the plt by flying while physically impaired from consumption of alcohol, his improper inflight planning/decision, and fuel exhaustion from his inadequate supply of fuel. The light conditions at night and uneven terrain (highway median) were considered to be contributing factors.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed as the plt was making an emergency landing at night on an interstate highway. An exam revealed that initially, the acft contacted the median of the highway. It then bounced over the eastbound lane(s) & subsequently came to rest in an adjacent field. During the occurrence, the plt received a concussion & could not remember the acdnt. No fuel was remaining in the fuel tanks. After the acdnt, the odor of alcohol was noted in the plt's breath. A blood sample was drawn about 1 hr after the acdnt. A toxicology check of the blood showed the plt had an alcohol level of 0.12% (grams/100 ml). The plt's last med cert was dated 7/17/86.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8088P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3336
- Airframe hours
- 1,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ira Hanson
- Registered owner
- Robert E Absey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 24, 1986
- Departed
- AXN · Alexandria, MN
- Airport
- NONE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 112 total · 6 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STC, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8088P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.