- Date
- July 17, 1985, 12:52 local (19:52 UTC)
- Place
- Monterey, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N15548Piper PA-28-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850717031719A
- Case key
- 24775
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 pilot took off on a training flight to practice holding over a VOR intersection 12 miles off shore. Approximately 12MINUTES after take off the pilot declared 'mayday,rough engine', to the Monterey,calfornia control tower control specialist. The control sepcialist observed the acfts radar target vanish from his brite tube at an altitude of 1300 feet. The coast guard recovered a few pieces of debris from the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15548
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7310054
- Airframe hours
- 4,609
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Monterey Navy Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Oscar B. Wilson, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 18, 1985 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- MRY · Monterey, 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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,923 total · 60 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRY, 17 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.