- Date
- September 20, 1987, 16:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7896WPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870920055109A
- Case key
- 25694
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
A Piper PA-28-180 collided with a tree after veering off runway 15. The pilot indicated that he encountered a right crosswind during the landing roll and veered off the left side of the runway. The aircraft's left wing then struck a tree severing it from the fuselage. There were no unresolved maintenance discrepancies or malfunctions reported against the aircraft prior to departure. The official weather observation station located 20 nautical miles south of the accident site reported the winds from 260 degrees at 4 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7896W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1924
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sun Burst Investments, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ONM · Socorro, NM
- Destination
- 40E · Tucson, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 40E · Lacholla Airport, runway 15, 4,500 × 36 ft, asphalt
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUS, 20 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.