Piper PA-22 accident near Deer Valley, Arizona, December 5, 1985
On December 5, 1985, a Piper PA-22, registered N3334A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deer Valley, Arizona (Deer Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- December 5, 1985
- Place
- Deer Valley, Arizona · Deer Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N3334A · no longer on the register · serial 22-1608
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER BEGINING DESCENT FROM 7,500 FT. M.S.L. THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. PRIOR TO DESCENT THE PLT RICHENED THE MIXTURE AND APPLIED CARB HEAT. THE PILOT RADIOED HIS POSITION & SITUATION TO DEER VALLEY TOWER, DEER VALLEY, ARIZONA WHILE NEGOTIATING AN EMERGENCY LANDING. PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH SOME CACTUS BUSHES. THE ACCIDENT SITE IS LOCATED ABOUT 14 MILES NORTHWEST OF DEER VALLEY ARPT. THE POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THE CARB BOWL CONTAINED ABOUT 1 1/2 CUP OF WATER.
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: 1,430 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,011 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT at 9:13 pm
- Destination: DVT Deer Valley AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm from DVT, 12 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.