- Date
- September 24, 1986, 00:30 local (05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Harvard, NE
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7744NPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860924046199A
- Case key
- 34078
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 plt received a wx briefing for a night, business flt. At the time of the briefing a reporting station 22 NM nw of the acdt site had a broken ceiling at 2300 ft with good vis. The acdt occurred about 2 hrs after the briefing less than 2 mi from the departure airport. At that time the reporting station had a broken ceiling at 1000 ft. there were no witnesses to the acdt but residents of the nearby town said it was a dark, cloudy night with good vis. The investigation revealed that the acft crashed in a steep left bank, nose low attitude. Exam of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of a mechanical failure. The investigation did reveal that the plt and passenger had worked a normal day at their hearing aid business and attended a church meeting until about 2300. They also had a business meeting scheduled in ogallala the next morning.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7744N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-5185
- Airframe hours
- 4,134
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Blue River Airways, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 3, 1986 · 23 hours before
- Destination
- Ogallala, NE
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 65 total · 15 in this make and model · 37 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRI, 23 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.