Piper PA-28-151 accident near Maquoketa, Iowa, August 8, 1987
On August 8, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N32619, was destroyed in an accident near Maquoketa, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- August 8, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Maquoketa, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N32619 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7515203
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING THE MAQUOKETA MUNI ARPT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO FLY AT LOW ALTITUDE OVER SOME BUILDINGS THAT INCLUDED A HOUSE & TRAILER HOME. AS THE ACFT FLEW OVER THE PROPERTY IN A LEFT BANKING TURN, THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TOP OF A TREE & THEN THE ACFT CRASHED. FRIENDS OF THE PLT WERE HAVING A PARTY AT THE RESIDENCE. THEY RPRTD THAT AFTER THE PLT MADE A LOW PASS, HE WAS TO LAND & PARTAKE IN THE ACTIVITIES. A EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM.
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: 243 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 211 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,752 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1987; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OQW Maquoketa IA at 10:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from CID, 51 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.