- Date
- August 17, 1987, 08:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Steamboat Sprin, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7494JPiper PA-28R-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 2, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870817045809A
- Case key
- 17299
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
N7494J took off from a high alt arpt and climbed in the vic of the arpt to 9500 feet before proceeding on course. Upon approaching high terrain the plt realized he did not have enough alt to clear the terrain and was in a valley too narrow to turn around. He was holding the override to deactivate the automatic landing gear extension system when the acft encountered turb and his hand came off the override. The landing gear extended and the acft lost airspeed. At that point the plt decided an off arpt forced landing was necessary and selected a mountain meadow. During the landing in rough terrain the landing gear collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7494J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R30855
- Airframe hours
- 4,535
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clipper Club, Inc
- Registered owner
- Clipper Club, Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 1986
- Destination
- LAR · Laramie, WY
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,353 total · 800 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.