Piper PA-28-180 accident near Richmond Hts, Ohio, December 11, 1987
On December 11, 1987 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9494J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richmond Hts, Ohio (Cuyahoga airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1987 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond Hts, Ohio · Cuyahoga · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9494J · registry record · serial 283613
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT BEGAN TAKING OFF ON RWY 23 WITH A WIND FROM 160 DEG AT 13 KTS. THE TOWER CTLR SAW THE ACFT TURN SHARPLY TO THE LEFT AFTER LIFT-OFF & SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACT ABOUT 250' LEFT OF THE RWY. THE CTLR SAID THE PLT APPEARED TO HAVE 'JERKED' THE ACFT OFF OF THE RWY, & THAT IT SUBSEQUENTLY CLIMBED NO HIGHER THAN ABOUT 25 FT AGL. THE PLT RECEIVED SERIOUS FACIAL INJURIES DRG THE ACDNT. HE LATER RPRTD HE HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF THE ACDNT OR OF THE EVENTS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING IT. A POST-CRASH EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREEXISTING MECH MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. AN EXAM OF THE SEAT REVEALED IT WAS SECURELY ATTACHED TO THE SEAT TRACKS & THAT THE LATCH FUNCTIONED PROPERLY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 152 hours in all; 152 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 84 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1987; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CGF at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 4I3 Mt. Vernon OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,101 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from CGF, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9494J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.