Piper PA-31-T1 accident near Baker, Nevada, August 8, 1998
On August 8, 1998 at about 6:49 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-T1, registered N6JM, was destroyed in an accident near Baker, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to comply with a 12,500-foot altitude restriction placed on the aircraft by an FAA approved maintenance facility due to unresolved oxygen system issues. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to divulge his true physical condition and need for medication during his application for an Airman Medical Certificate.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1998 · about 6:49 pm local time
- Place
- Baker, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-T1 · all PA-31-T1s on the register
- Registration
- N6JM · no longer on the register · serial 31T-7904011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for 25,000 feet mean sea level (MSL), and he amended it to 27,000 feet MSL en route. About 36 minutes after the altitude change to 27,000 feet, the pilot advised air traffic control (ATC) that he had lost cabin pressurization and needed an immediate descent. About 20 seconds later he was cleared to 25,000 feet, then 15 seconds later to 15,000 feet. Shortly after the pilot acknowledged the lower altitudes, the radio communications deteriorated to microphone clicks with no carrier. The aircraft started a shallow descent with slight heading changes, then was observed to make a rapid descent into desert terrain. About 10 months prior to the accident the aircraft had been inspected in accordance with the Piper Cheyenne Progressive Inspection 100-hour Cycle, event No. 1. According to the servicing agency, the aircraft inspection was completed and the aircraft was returned to service with a 12,500 feet MSL altitude restriction due to unresolved oxygen system issues. The last oxygen bottle hydrostatic check noted on the bottle was October 1989. The oxygen system was in need of required maintenance and the masks were in a rotted condition. The pilot failed to report his severe coronary artery disease condition, medications, and other conditions to his FAA medical examiner for the required flight physical.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,950 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,821 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 1, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 8,700 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: STS Santa Rosa CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: ICT Wichita KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from ELY, 45 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.