- Date
- March 21, 1985, 20:20 local (Mar 22, 1985, 03:20 UTC)
- Place
- Vail, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8359BPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850321009239A
- Case key
- 16532
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt did not obtain a wx briefing, file a flight plan or refuel the acft prior to departing for eagle Colorado. The acft departed at 1800 under VFR cond. The plt reported over minturn co at 2019. Witnesses at Vail co stated that the wx cond were poor from 2000 to 2045 with heavy wet snow falling and visibility of 100 ft or less. One called it a blizzard. Another witness saw a plane about this time at low alt just over the ridge being burreted by the wwnd and laboring at high power. There were no witnesses to the acc. About an hour before the acc the plt had requested wx by radio. The wx then was reported as ceilings lowering with mt tops obscured, wx deteriorating. The flt acknowledged the report at 1920. He requested wx again at 2019. The eagle fss gave the wx for eagle and the plt acknowledged. There were no further radio communications with the plt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8359B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 288190193
- Airframe hours
- 1,117
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- John M. Wyland
- Registered owner
- Michael S Pinkham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1984 · 154 hours before
- Departed
- 3V4 · Fort Morgan, CO
- Destination
- EGE · Eagle, CO
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 90 total · 90 in this make and model · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.