- Date
- June 4, 1988, 11:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Springs, WY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9728JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880604017799A
- Case key
- 17375
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
Shortly after departure on the second leg of a cross country flt the plt informed the fss located on the arpt that he was returning. The fss technician on duty observed the acft turn final at an abnormally low altitude. The acft disappeared from view. The technician attempted radio contact and when unsuccessful sounded the crash alarm. The acft was found apx 1500 ft short of the rwy in a gully. No indication of difficulty was radioed by the plt. Investigation revealed inadequately maintained magnetoes. The plt reported total memory loss of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9728J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28 3921
- Airframe hours
- 4,008
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tottenhoff, D.R./Jahr, L.W.
- Registered owner
- Tottenhoff, D.R./Jahr, L.W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 24, 1987 · 131 hours before
- Departed
- RKS · Rock Springs, WY
- Destination
- CYS · Cheyenne, WY
- Airport
- RKS · Rock Springs, runway 27, 10,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 371 total · 182 in this make and model · 328 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 90 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS, 2 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 N9728J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.