- Date
- March 8, 1992, 01:42 local (07:42 UTC)
- Place
- Mangum, OK
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8287WPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920308005319A
- Case key
- 18454
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain proper airplane altitude. A factor was the dark night.
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 non-instrument rated pilot departed the airport at 0130 on a very dark night. Impact with the ground was made in a nose low attitude. Numerous beer bottles were found laying on the ground outside the wreckage. The highway patrol reported that the pilot tested positive for alcohol at the time of admittance to the local hospital. A passenger reported the pilot was flying with no lights on. No anomalies were found on the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8287W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2448
- Airframe hours
- 2,460
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stanley R. Wright
- Registered owner
- Stanley R. Wright
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1991 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- OK07 · Hollis, OK
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 326 total · 292 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LTS, 15 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.