Piper PA-28-180 accident near Mena, Arkansas, November 11, 1988
On November 11, 1988 at about 3:10 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9109J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mena, Arkansas (Intermountain Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- November 11, 1988 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Mena, Arkansas · Intermountain Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9109J · no longer on the register · serial 28-3151
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON LEFT CROSSWIND LEG, DURING INITIAL CLIMB, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. THE ACFT HAD REACHED ABOUT 800 FEET AGL AND WAS ABOUT 1 1/2 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS ATTEMPTED WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. DARK NIGHT VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES SAID THEY OBSERVED THE ACFT PASS UNDER SOME POWER LINES BEFORE CONTACTING A FENCE. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, ALONG WITH STATEMENTS MADE BY THE PLT, REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO BE ON THE WRONG TANK, CAUSING FUEL STARVATION.
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: 82 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,089 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 1988; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DEQ Dequeen AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.