- Date
- February 8, 1986, 08:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Joshua Tree, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9974WPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860208019729A
- Case key
- 25068
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
On feb 28 1986, at 0830 PST, a Piper PA-28 collided with a Tree after a forced landing. IMC prevailed at the time. A/c flew into deteriorating weather conditions enroute and climbed to 11,000 feet MSL to get above it. During the climb IMC was encountered. After several minutes the engine began to run rough and altitude could not be maintained. The carburetor heat was partially on throughout the climb and full on during cruise at 11,000 feet with the mixture full rich. The aircraft broke out of the clouds at 200 feet AGL in snow showers. The pilot landed the aircraft in rough terrain adjacent to road paralleled by wires.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9974W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23522
- Airframe hours
- 3,667
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bruce Seaman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1985 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- L49 · Lake Elsinore, CA
- Destination
- P06 · Bullhead, AZ
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 208 total · 208 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PSP, 22 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.