Piper PA-28-140B accident near Moorpark, California, April 15, 1985
On April 15, 1985 at about 2:51 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140B, registered N8188N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Moorpark, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- April 15, 1985 · about 2:51 am local time
- Place
- Moorpark, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140B · all PA-28-140Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8188N · no longer on the register · serial 28-25385
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE ON A SOLO X-COUNTRY FLT DURING WICH HE WAS ON TOP OF AN OVERCAST. FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED WHILE HE WAS BEING RADAR VECTORED TO AN ARPT. A FORCED LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON A FREEWAY OFFRAMP AND THE ACFT'S WING STRUCK A GUARD RAIL CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 103 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,398 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 1985; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APV Apple Valley CA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: WNP Pacoima CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:49 am from OXR, 17 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.