Lockheed PV-2 accident near Mesa, Arizona, May 1, 1985
On May 1, 1985 at about 10:57 pm local time, a Lockheed PV-2, registered N7415C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- May 1, 1985 · about 10:57 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed PV-2 · all PV-2s on the register
- Registration
- N7415C · no longer on the register · serial 151608
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING A DURAL ENGINE CHANG, THE PLT TEST FLEW THE ACFT. ON INITIAL CLIMB, AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL, BOTH ENGINES BEGAN BACKFIRING VIOLENTLY & LOST POWER. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, POWER SUFFICIENT FOR FLT COULD NOT BE OBTAINED, & A FORCED LDG WAS MADE ABOUT 0.75 MILES FROM THE ARPT. THE LDG OCCURRED IN OPEN DESERT TERRAIN & THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE DID NOT CHECK THE POSITION OF THE CONTROL HANDLES FOR THE SUPERCHARGERS DURING EITHER HIS PRE-FLIGHT OR PRE-TAKEOFF INSPECTIONS. AND THE BLOWERS HAD BEEN INADVERTENTLY LEFT SET TO THE HIGH BLOWER POSITION. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE CHECKLIST WHICH HE WAS USING FOR THE ACFT DID NOT ADDRESS THE POSITION OF THE BLOWERS BECAUSE FOR THE PAST 15 YRS IT HAD BEEN COMPANY POLICY TO 'WIRE THE BLOWERS TO THE LOW BLOWER 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,750 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 33,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-2800-31 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 10:50 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.