- Date
- February 9, 1987, 18:20 local (Feb 10, 1987, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tulare, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7498JPiper PA-28R-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25522
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 attempted to land while the runway and VASI approach lights were off. The night was dark and he inadvertently landed on a roadway parallel to the runway. The aircraft collided with a fence when the road came to a dead end adjacent to the near midfield point on the runway. The runway and approach lights at the airport are radio controlled. During a telephonic interview, the pilot said he had never used the radio procedures to illuminate runway lights. The pilot's medical certificate was not valid for night flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7498J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-30860
- Airframe hours
- 2,811
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Reese Orchards
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1986
- Departed
- MAE · Madera, CA
- Airport
- TLR · Mefford Field
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 392 total · 108 in this make and model · 318 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
Other investigations on N7498J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.