- Date
- October 22, 1987, 19:45 local (Oct 23, 1987, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Colville, WA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15653Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871022060269A
- Case key
- 40708
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
Although the recently certificated private pilot was not checked out by the fixed base operator for night flight and had been warned to return before sunset, he departed the airport during dark night conditions. Witnesses reported observing the aircraft climb out and then execute a right turn back towards the airport during which the climb evolved into a descent. The aircraft struck the ground in a right wing down nose low attitude on a bearing closely approximating the downwind for the departure runway and at a point roughly 1600 feet abeam the extended runway centerline. No mechanical malfunction was evident; nor was there any evidence of any preimpact pilot impairment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15653
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7305110
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aero West Flight Center
- Registered owner
- Richard L Aukema
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 12, 1987
- Departed
- 63S · Colville, WA
- Destination
- 0S6 · Vancouver, WA
- Airport
- 63S · Colville, runway 1, 2,396 × 100 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 19 in this make and model · 34 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- 63S
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.