Piper PA-24-250 accident near Leyba, New Mexico, October 29, 1986
On October 29, 1986 at about 7:00 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N8323P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leyba, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- October 29, 1986 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Leyba, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N8323P · no longer on the register · serial 24-3574
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED ALBUQUERQUE ON OCTOBER 29, 1986, IN HIS ACFT FOR AN UNKNOWN DESTINATION. WHEN HE FAILED TO RETURN TO HIS HOME, RELATIVES NOTIFIED LOCAL AUTHORITIES. A SEARCH WAS BEGUN AND ON JANUARY 23, 1987, THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND. THE PILOT WAS DECEASED AND 250 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA WAS FOUND IN AND AROUND THE ACFT.
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: 1,700 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-C1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.