Piper PA-34-200 accident near Graford, Texas, February 4, 1998
On February 4, 1998 at about 3:38 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N15566, was destroyed in an accident near Graford, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the ground. Factors were the dark night, the rising terrain, and the ground fog obscuring the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1998 · about 3:38 am local time
- Place
- Graford, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N15566 · registry record · serial 34-7350076
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was dispatched to pick up a stranded flightcrew that landed at the destination airport, 70 miles from home base. Fog had formed in the area. The airplane circled the airport, above the fog layer, but was unable to land due to the fog. After circling the airport, the airplane was heard proceeding east bound until the sound of the engines disappeared. An ELT signal was received by another airplane on the 290 degree radial, 19 miles from the Milsap VOR. There were no reported eyewitnesses. The wreckage was located the next morning on the eastern ledge of a granite ridgeline of a north-south oriented hill rising approximately 200 feet above the surrounding terrain. The wreckage was scattered for 270 feet on a heading of 240 degrees. Signatures at the initial point of impact indicate that the airplane contacted trees and terrain in controlled flight in a slight left wing down attitude. Flight control continuity was established. The landing gear and flaps were found in the retracted position.
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
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,882 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 12, 1997; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F54 Arlington TX at 3:05 am
- Destination: F35 TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from MWL, 15 miles away
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.