Piper PA-24-250 accident near Jordan Valley, Oregon, December 27, 1999
On December 27, 1999, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5933P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jordan Valley, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate preflight planning/preparation. Unsuitable terrain was selected for landing and a road sign were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1999
- Place
- Jordan Valley, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5933P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while en route to his destination, he noted that he forgot his approach charts. The destination airport was under instrument meteorological conditions. Therefore, the pilot attempted unsuccessfully to find a nearby airport that would allow him to land under visual conditions. While attempting to find a VFR airport, both left and right main fuel tanks ran out of fuel. The pilot estimated that he had approximately five gallons of fuel in each tip tank, and elected to initiate a precautionary landing on a highway. During the landing roll, the aircraft collided with a road marker sign.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,010 hours in all; 715 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,473 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 1999; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIH Pocatello ID at 8:00 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from BOI, 55 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.