- Date
- August 10, 1985, 22:30 local (Aug 11, 1985, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Falfurrias, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1020DPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850810040339A
- Case key
- 21820
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 experienced in-flt directional gyro problems (exessive precessing) which resulted in large deviations on either side of his planning flt path. After realizing it was inaccurate he continued using it for some of his heading info. The acft continued to 'wander' until fuel exhaustion occurred. The acft was then force landed on a small ranch road during the hours of darkness with the aid of its landing light.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1020D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7425251
- Airframe hours
- 1,737
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hurley Boehler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 4, 1985
- Departed
- CLL · College Station, TX
- Destination
- T31 · Port Isabel, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,053 total · 65 in this make and model · 97 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °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.