- Date
- May 10, 1985, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ocotillo Wells, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N81018Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850510016499A
- Case key
- 24508
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
According to witnesses on a dune buggy & a honda trx 200, the acft was flying at low alt in strong winds when it seemed to encounter turbulence & go out of control. Some of the witnesses said it temporarily leveled at about 200 ft AGL. All agreed that it was at about 150 to 200 ft AGL when it entered a steep dscnt & crashed on desert terrain. An exam revealed the acft impacted in a nose low, nearly wings level attitude. The prop separated during impact & exhibitedtorsional overload indications. The prop blades were twisted & had gouges on the leading edges. A check of the plt's blood showed an alcohol level of 0.147%. According to an NTSB wx summary, the mean surface wind in that area was estimated to be from 220 deg at 22 gusting 40 KTS with probable moderate to severe turbulence & up/downdrafts below 10,000 ft. the witnesses estimated the wind was from 280 deg at 40 gusting 50 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81018
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8016097
- Airframe hours
- 2,653
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marin Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Marven L. Gibson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · April 8, 1985 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 138 total · 62 in this make and model · 53 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 40 knots, gusting 50
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.