- Date
- August 31, 1986, 08:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Elkhart, KS
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4233JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860831043139A
- Case key
- 34076
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 student plt intended to fly from his home arpt to a nearby arpt where he was receiving flt instruction. No record of a wx briefing was found. Local authorities said there were low clouds and fog in the area at the time of the accident. No one saw the acft takeoff but the plt was seen in local restaurant a short time before the accident. The acft crashed on the municipal golf course about 100 ft from two residences. An occupant of one of the residences saw the acft crash and said it was descending nearly vertical just before impact. He also said the eng noise increased just before impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4233J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-22584
- Airframe hours
- 3,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- C. D. James Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 1985
- Destination
- Liberal, KS
- Airport
- EHA · Elkhart
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
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.