Piper PA-24-260 accident near Monument Valley, Utah, August 8, 1986
On August 8, 1986 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8544P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monument Valley, Utah (Monument Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 8, 1986 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Monument Valley, Utah · Monument Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8544P · registry record · serial 24-4001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON AN APPROACH FOR LANDING WHEN THE ACFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. HE SAID THAT INCREASING POWER DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE AN EFFECT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT LANDED HARD, COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR. THE PLT BELIEVED THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED WIND SHEAR DURING THE APPROACH. LOCAL PILOTS WERE AWARE OF UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS THAT OCCUR AT THE ARPT. VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS NOTE THAT THIS WAS A PRIVATE ARPT AND ITS USE WAS AT THE PLT'S OWN RISK.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 820 hours in all; 131 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 716 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,945 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1986; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 6:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:36 pm from 4HV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.