Piper PA-28-180 accident near Pecos, Texas, October 10, 1985
On October 10, 1985 at about 11:50 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N711OW, was destroyed in an accident near Pecos, Texas (Pecos Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 10, 1985 · about 11:50 am local time
- Place
- Pecos, Texas · Pecos Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N711OW · no longer on the register · serial 28-901
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PVT PLT DEPARTED ON A NIGHT FLT WITH WX REPORTED AS 300 AND 2 IN FOG AND DRIZZLE. ACFT IMPACTED TERRAIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER IN A 60 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLT HAD TOLD A FRIEND THAT AFTER DEPATURE HE WOULD ACQUIRE AND THEN FOLLOW THE LIGHTS ALONG A NEARBY INTERSTATE HWY TO HIS DESTANTION. THE FRIEND, WHO WITNESSED THE DEPARTURE, STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF HE LOST SIGHT OF THE ACFT'S ROTATING BEACON DUE TO THE LOW VISIBILITY. THE PLT HAD A REPUTATION FOR FLYING IN MARGINAL OR WORSE WX AND HAD BEEN VIOLATED FOR THE SAME ON ONE PREVIOUS OCCASION. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS REVEALED DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: 830 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 802 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,505 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 1985; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: EO1 Monahans TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,255 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded at 700 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from MAF, 82 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.
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.