Piper PA-20 N1403C

Summary

On 20 October 1985 at about 19:15 local time, a Piper PA-20 registered N1403C was involved in an accident near Ely, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

20 October 1985 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Ely, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.4204, -114.9999

Aircraft

Piper PA-20

Registration

N1403C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ely → Delta

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA86LA016

3 people were seriously injured.

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

THE CONSENSUS OF WITNESSES WAS THAT THE PLT & 2 PAX HAD BEEN AWAKE ALL OR MOST OF THE PREVIOUS NIGHT & HAD CONSUMED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES UNTIL AT LEAST 0100 PDT. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PLT WAS 'CUT OFF' FROM ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AT 0100, BUT THE 3 MEN REMAINED AT THE BAR UNTIL HE WENT OFF DUTY AT 0400. LATER, HE SAW THEM AT ANOTHER BAR AT ABOUT 1100,BUT COULD NOT RECALL IF THEY WERE DRINKING. AT ABOUT 1200, THE 3 TOOK OFF IN A PIPER PA-20 (PREVIOUSLY CONVERTED FROM A PA-22). THE PLT REPORTED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, HE CONTD CLIMBING SOUTHBOUND FOR APRX 12 MI, THEN TURNED EAST TO CROSS OVERA MTN RANGE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED DOWNDRAFTS & BEGAN LOSING ALT. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A 180 DEG LEFT TURN AWAY FROM RISING TERRAIN, BUT THE ACFT SETTLED INTO TREES & CRASHED TO THE GND. REPORTEDLY, THERE WERE NO PREIMPACTMECHANICAL PROBLEMS. ALTHO SERIOUSLY INJURED, THE PLT WALKED FROM THE CRASH SITE. HE OBTAINED ASSISTANCE AT APRX 1840 & WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL. THE ACFT & OTHER OCCUPANTS WERE FND THE FOLLOWING MORNING DURING AN AIR SEARCH.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.