- Date
- February 18, 1988, 16:10 local (Feb 19, 1988, 00:10 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2645ZPiper PA-31T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880218003519I
- Case key
- 40740
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Window,flight compartment window/windshield - failure,totalCause
Maintenance,installation - improperCause
Fuselage,cabin - decompression
Analysis
While cruising at FL270, right side cockpit window failed, resulting in decompression. Acft diverted to normal landing. Examination revealed lower bolts overtorqued and plexiglas compromised by excess primer, initiating cracking. Evidence indicated window not original installation, but review of maint records showed no record of window replacement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2645Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-7520009
- Airframe hours
- 4,389
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-11, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Executive Air Service, doing business as San Diego Air Charter
- Registered owner
- W. D. Hancock & Co.
- Departed
- CCB · Cable, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 20 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 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.