Piper PA-31-350 N36PB
21 January 1995 · La Grande, Oregon, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 January 1995 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N36PB was involved in an accident near La Grande, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Grande, Oregon, United States
- Nearest airport
- La Grande (LGD)
- Coordinates
- 45.3206, -118.1994
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N36PB
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pendleton → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA95LA039
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM HIGHER TERRAIN THAT WAS LOCATED NEAR THE AIRPORT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LOW CEILING, FOG, FALSE/INCORRECT INDICATION OF THE NDB, FAILURE OF OTHER PERSONNEL TO PROPERLY ISSUE A NOTAM CONCERNING THE NDB, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY IDENTIFY THE NAVAID SIGNAL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE FLYING THE NDB APPROACH IN IMC, HE NOTED THAT THE IDENTIFYING SIGNAL WAS WEAK AND THE ADF NEEDLE WANDERED. HE CONTINUED THE APPROACH, BUT DID NOT DESCEND BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE OF 4000' MSL. WHEN HE FELT THAT HE WAS OVER THE RUNWAY, HE LOOKED DOWN AND SAW TREES THROUGH THE FOG. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, HE FELT THE AIRPLANE HIT SOMETHING. THE PILOT PERFORMED A MISSED APPROACH AND DIVERTED TO ANOTHER AIRPORT, WHERE HE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN EXAM OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD COLLIDED WITH A TREE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NDB WAS OUT OF SERVICE, AND NO NOTAM HAD BEEN ISSUED. THE PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING THE SERVICEABILITY OF THE NDB REPORTED TO THE FSS THAT THE 'BEACON' WAS OUT OF SERVICE. THE FSS INTERPRETED 'BEACON' AS THE 'ROTATING BEACON' ON THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPORT WAS LOCATED IN A VALLEY AT AN ELEVATION OF 2714'. THE NDB APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT WAS FROM THE NORTH. HIGH TERRAIN TO ABOUT 6000' MSL WAS LOCATED TO THE EAST AND WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL THE EXACT LOCATION OF IMPACT WITH TREE(S).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-31-350 | Atlantic Ocean | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-31 | Valdez, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 6 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-31 | Boise, Idaho, United States | H & H Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-31 | Anderson, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-31-350 | Opa-Locka, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 1995 | Piper PA-31-350 | Dillingham, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1995 | Fairchild 24G | Nyssa, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-28-161 | Lakeview, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 1995 | Pederson SILHOUETTE 1 | Corvallis, Oregon, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-18-150 | Owyhee, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 1995 | Beechcraft P-35 | Bend, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1995 | Cessna 177B | Yamhill, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |