Piper PA-24-250 accident near Seward, Nebraska, October 5, 1986
On October 5, 1986 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5980P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seward, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 5, 1986 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Seward, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5980P · registry record · serial 24-1073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTS THAT HE WAS LANDING ON HIS PRIVATE GRASS STRIP WHICH IS 1600 X 60 FT. HE SAID THE GRASS ON THE EDGES WAS THICKER THEN THAT IN THE MIDDLE. DURING LANDING ROLL THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE LT AND THE LT WING COLLIDED WITH MILO GROWING ALONG THE LT SIDE OF THE STRIP. THE ACFT SWERVED TO THE LT AND THE RT MLG COLLAPSED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,710 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 2,616 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,847 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 1,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.