Piper PA-28-161 N81018

Summary

On 10 May 1985 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N81018, operated by Marin Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ocotillo Wells, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

10 May 1985 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocotillo Wells, California, United States

Coordinates

32.7206, -115.8804

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N81018

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Marin Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Ana → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX85FA252

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

ACCORDING TO WITNESSES ON A DUNE BUGGY & A HONDA TRX 200, THE ACFT WAS FLYING AT LOW ALT IN STRONG WINDS WHEN IT SEEMED TO ENCOUNTER TURBULENCE & GO OUT OF CONTROL. SOME OF THE WITNESSES SAID IT TEMPORARILY LEVELED AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL. ALL AGREED THAT IT WAS AT ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT AGL WHEN IT ENTERED A STEEP DSCNT & CRASHED ON DESERT TERRAIN. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A NOSE LOW, NEARLY WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE PROP SEPARATED DURING IMPACT & EXHIBITEDTORSIONAL OVERLOAD INDICATIONS. THE PROP BLADES WERE TWISTED & HAD GOUGES ON THE LEADING EDGES. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.147%. ACCORDING TO AN NTSB WX SUMMARY, THE MEAN SURFACE WIND IN THAT AREA WAS ESTIMATED TO BE FROM 220 DEG AT 22 GUSTING 40 KTS WITH PROBABLE MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE & UP/DOWNDRAFTS BELOW 10,000 FT. THE WITNESSES ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS FROM 280 DEG AT 40 GUSTING 50 KTS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.