- Date
- August 25, 1989, 18:10 local (Aug 26, 1989, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Williams, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7172RPiper PA-28
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890825031909A
- Case key
- 26382
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain his visual lookout and flying low. Contributing to the accident was the one inch diameter telephone cable.
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 was flying low paralleling an interstate highway. Several of the pilot's employees were driving on the interstate at the time and saw the aircraft. The aircraft struck a one inch diameter telephone cable that traversed the highway bringing down the aircraft. The pilot's employees believed he did not see the cable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7172R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-21882
- Airframe hours
- 2,751
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 D1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Allard M. Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 1989 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- FLG · Flagstaff, AZ
- Destination
- L26 · Hesperia, 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 855 total · 600 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7172R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.