- Date
- December 12, 1982, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grandfield, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9317JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 12, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821212033829A
- Case key
- 70883
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 takeoff, a child, who had been allowed to occupy the baggage compartment during the takeoff, fell from the acft when the door opened in flight. The child's grandfather, who occupied the rear seat, allowed the youngster to climb into the baggage compartment because he would not stay in his seat belt. With the cargo door in the latched position it would pop open if hit sharply in the center of the door from inside the acft. The door is not reinforced & is not designed to withstand forces from inside the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9317J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3426
- Airframe hours
- 4,179
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Altus Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Western State Flyers Inc.
- Departed
- OK02 · Grandfield, OK
- Destination
- Altus, OK
- Airport
- OK02 · Grandfield Municipal
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 172 total · 1 in this make and model · 138 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 113 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LTS
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 N9317J · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.