Piper PA-28-180 accident near Hoskins, Nebraska, September 11, 1985
On September 11, 1985 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N15970, was destroyed in an accident near Hoskins, Nebraska. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- September 11, 1985 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hoskins, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N15970 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7305202
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON A TELEPHONE CABLE PATRL FLT. THE ACFT WOULD NORMALLY FLY ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE BURIED CABLE AT 200 TO 300 FT AGL. WHEN CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY WAS SIGHTED THE PLT WOULD FIRST RECORD THE SIGHTING ON A PORTABLE TAPE RECORDER AND THEN CALL THE TELEPHONE COMPANY ON A RADIO/TELEPHONE. THE CONTROL HEAD FOR THE RADIO/TELEPHONE OCCUPIED THE PLACE OF THE REMOVED RIGHT, REAR SEAT. WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT CIRCLED TWICE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE BEFORE THE CRASH. THEY SIAD THERE WERE LOW CLOUDS WITH HAZE BUT GOOD VISIBILITY BELOW THE CLOUDS. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A SHALLOW LEFT BANK IN A SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. A MESSAGE ON A TAPE RECORDER FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE DESCRIBED CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY NEAR THE CABLE IN AN AREA ONE MI W OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. TELEPHONE COMPANY PERSONNEL SAID THAT THEY DID NOT RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE PLT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,677 hours in all; 273 in this make and model; 2,518 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,446 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1985; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ONL O'Neill NE at 12:45 pm
- Destination: SUX Sioux City IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:36 pm from OFK, 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.
Other NTSB records under N15970 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.