Piper PA-36 accident near Mattawa, Washington, April 24, 1986
On April 24, 1986 at about 3:00 am local time, a Piper PA-36, registered N57608, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mattawa, Washington. It was a positioning flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- April 24, 1986 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Mattawa, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36 · all PA-36s on the register
- Registration
- N57608 · no longer on the register · serial 36-7660008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF A LOSS OF PWR OCCURRED ACCOMPANIED BY AN ENG VIBRATION. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE ONTO A HIGHWAY WHERE A X-WIND EXISTED. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE ACFT VEERED INTO A DITCH AND STRUCK A FENCE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. NO REASON FOR THE PWR LOSS COULD BE DETERMINED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,070 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 4,992 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,364 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1986; 1,471 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-D1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S70 Othello WA at 1:50 pm
- Destination: 74WA Mattawa WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N57608 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.