- Date
- September 20, 1985, 15:17 local (20:17 UTC)
- Place
- Plainview, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1994TPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850920046719A
- Case key
- 21852
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 acft was substantially damaged during an emerg landing following an eng failure due to fuel exhaustion. Plt stated that during the 2nd leg of his flt, the ceiling and visibility deteriorated to the point that he was unable to find the arpt at his destination and that he used up his fuel reserve looking for it. Investigation revealed that the acft flew 4.2 hrs to cover a straight line distance of 269.5NM that would normally take an ete of between 1.63 hrs and 1.73 hrs. The weather throughout the area was marginal VFR to below VFR minimums. During weather briefing, plt was warned that VFR was not recommended. The accident occurred within 5 NM of the destination arpt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1994T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7135187
- Airframe hours
- 2,305
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tarrant Aero Flying Club
- Registered owner
- David J. Mcvinnie
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 19, 1985 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- Guthrie, TX
- Airport
- PVW · Hale County
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 123 total · 14 in this make and model · 65 as pilot in command · 123 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.