- Date
- March 15, 1987, 19:15 local (Mar 16, 1987, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kerrville, TX
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6785FPiper PA-28-151
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870315006409A
- Case key
- 22234
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Light condition - dark nightFactor
Planning/decision - poorFactor
In-flight planning/decision - poorFactor
Weather evaluation - misjudgedFactor
Vfr flight into imc - performedCause
Loss of control - in flight
Airspeed - uncontrolledCause
Descent - excessiveCause
Lack of total instrument timeCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The non-instrument pilot continued VFR flight into IMC conditions. The acft struck top of ridgeline while traveling at a high rate of speed and was demolished. No evidence of a pre-impact failure or malfunction of the acft was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6785F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7715179
- Airframe hours
- 3,151
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- High Country Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 9, 1986 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- E38 · Alpine, TX
- Destination
- ERV · Kerrville, TX
- Airport
- ERV · Kerrville
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
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 112 total · 10 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ERV, 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.