Piper PA-30 accident near Holbrook, Arizona, October 3, 1986
On October 3, 1986 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N12BX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Holbrook, Arizona (Holbrook Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- October 3, 1986 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Holbrook, Arizona · Holbrook Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N12BX · no longer on the register · serial 30-1436
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF, THE RIGHT ENGINE LOST POWER AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 450 FEET. THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS FEATHERED, BUT THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT DISMANTLED AND MOVED THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE INVESTIGATION WHICH MAY HAVE DESTROYED EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE LOSS OF POWER. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,059 hours in all; 804 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 3,009 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,316 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P14 at 4:30 pm
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from INW, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.