- Date
- April 21, 1987, 16:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- Craig, CO
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3231PPiper PA-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 8, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870421076649A
- Case key
- 17106
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 and his wife were on a cross country flt to visit relatives in north carolina. Several witnesses observed the aircraft depart Craig-moffet airport with the engine(s) running rough and using almost the entire runway to get airborne. Once airborne the aircraft failed to gain attitude, struck some trees, and crashed into an irrigation ditch. Post accident inspection revealed a worn engine with deficient spark plugs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3231P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1174
- Airframe hours
- 3,926
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richad W. Gawer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 8, 1986 · 98 hours before
- Destination
- RDU · Raleigh Durham, NC
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 108 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 308° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F
- Observed at
- CAG, 1 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.