- Date
- January 13, 1986, 16:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- Deville, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5655UPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860113000569A
- Case key
- 21886
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 student plt had previously flown this acft in flt training. However, the insurance for the acft had lapsed & the owner had secured the acft to a tie-down with a chain & pad lock to prevent it from being flown. After the chain was cut with a hack saw, the student flew it on an unauthorized flt. During the flt, he flew over & circled the homes of several different relatives. While the plt was making a 2nd circle around the home of a sister, the left wing of the acft contacted the top of a large tree. The acft then crashed into another tree & lodged about 20 ft above the ground. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found during the investigation. The student plt's endorsement for solo flt had expired 17 days prior to this flt. Toxicology checks showed that his blood/alcohol level was 162 mg% (0.162%) & his urine/alcohol level was 212 mg% (0.212%).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5655U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-26451
- Airframe hours
- 2,572
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Donald J. Laborde
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1985 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- LA26 · Marksville, LA
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 33 total · 6 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ESF, 9 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.