Piper PA-18-150 accident near Payson, Arizona, December 4, 1993
On December 4, 1993 at about 6:48 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4417Z, was destroyed in an accident near Payson, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: PILOT IMPAIRMENT FROM IMPROPER USE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS (NOT APPROVED FOR FLYING), RISING TERRAIN, AND BOX CANYON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1993 · about 6:48 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4417Z · no longer on the register · serial 18-8752
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED AT PAYSON, ATE BREAKFAST, REFUELED HIS AIRPLANE & DEPARTED. A WITNESS NOTED NOTHING UNUSUAL AS THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED. IT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED ON RADAR, & THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND IN A RAVINE NEAR THE TOP OF A BOX CANYON, ABOUT 8.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PAYSON. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD CRASHED WHILE DESCENDING IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE DEFORMED WITH S-SHAPED BENDS, LEADING EDGE GOUGES & CHORD-WISE SCRATCHES. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE PLANE WAS LOADED AT OR NEAR ITS MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT & THAT IT HAD STALLED. TOXICOLOGY TESTS OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD SHOWED 0.065 UG/G OF DIHYDROCODEINE & 25 UG/G OF SALICYLATE (ASPIRIN). DIHYDROCODEINE & SALICYLATE WERE ALSO DETECTED IN HIS URINE.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,415 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1993; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E69 AZ at 6:30 pm
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.