Piper PA-28-160 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, May 17, 1985
On May 17, 1985 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5O17W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Sky Harbor airport). It was a personal 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).
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 17, 1985 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Sky Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5O17W · no longer on the register · serial 28-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE ACFT & THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HE HAD TAXIED IT FROM THE LEFT SEAT. THIS PLT TAXIED FROM THE PARKING RAMP UP A SLIGHT GRADE AN ACROSS A TAXIWAY. HE REPORTED THAT WHEN HE 'LOOKED UP', HE OBSERVED THAT THE ACFT WAS HEADING TOWARD A HANGAR. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO QUICKLY TURN THE ACFT BUT IT COLLIDED WITH THE HANGAR. EXAM OF THE BRAKES REVEALED THAT THEY WERE CAPABLE OF WORKING FOLLOWING THE COLLISION.
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: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 410 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,223 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1985; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Destination: YUM Yuma AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:45 am
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.