Piper PA-28-181 accident near Burley, Washington, June 21, 1984
On June 21, 1984 at about 7:25 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N6950J, was destroyed in an accident near Burley, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- June 21, 1984 · about 7:25 am local time
- Place
- Burley, Washington
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N6950J · no longer on the register · serial 287690437
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-RATED PLT WAS EMPLOYED AS AN ACFT CLEANER & HAD ACCESS TO THE IGNITION KEYS OF SEVERAL ACFT, INCLUDING N6950J. EARLIER DURING THE EVENING, HE WAS SEEN CONSUMING BEER. AT ABOUT 0024 PDT, HE TOOK OFF FROM RWY 18. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED APRX 1/2 MI SOUTHEAST OF THE ARPT. THERE WERE LOW CEILINGS & REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH FOG AT THAT TIME. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM. A TOXICOLOGICAL CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD REVEALED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.104%. THE PLT HAD NO AUTHORIZATION TO FLY THE PLANE.
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
- Flight time: 5 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,564 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1983; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 am from BFI, 16 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.