Piper PA-28-180 accident near Yuma, Arizona, October 17, 1983
On October 17, 1983 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9560J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yuma, Arizona (Yuma Mcas airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1983 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona · Yuma Mcas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9560J · registry record · serial 28-3691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT PRIOR TO DEPARTING LAKE HAVASU CITY HE VISUALLY INSPECTED THE FUEL TANKS & OBSERVED THAT BOTH TANKS WERE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 1/2 FULL. BASED ON THIS OBSERVATION HE THOUGHT THE ACFT HAD 20-30 GALS OF FUEL WHICH WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE FLT. UPON REACHING BLYTHE, CA HE REALIZED HE WAS LOW ON FUEL BUT BELIEVED HE HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL TO REACH YUMA. THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION 2 MI FROM DESTINATION. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON AN INTERSTATE HWY. INITIAL TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE IN A STEEP LEFT BANK BECAUSE OF TRAFFIC & THE PRESENCE OF A BRIDGE OVER-CROSSING. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A SMALL RELECTOR POLE.
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: 150 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,691 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1983; 249 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHU Lake Havasu Cty AZ at 2:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,710 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from YUM, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9560J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX84LA016.