Piper PA-28-140 accident near Ashland, Oregon, July 17, 1987
On July 17, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N95407, was destroyed in an accident near Ashland, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- July 17, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N95407 · no longer on the register · serial 2825924
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS PROCEEDING VFR, NO FLT PLAN, NO RECORD OF WX BRIEF, NORTHBOUND THROUGH SISKIYOU PASS ALONG I-5 FROM CALIF INTO OREGON ABOUT 1400 PDT. PLT REPORTED SUDDENLY IN CLOUDS, THEN SAW TREES. ACFT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN 1/2 MILE WEST OF POINT WHERE I-5 TURNS SHARPLY NORTH FROM WEST AROUND SHOULDER OF MT. ASHLAND. ELT RECEIVED BY SATELLITE, SIGNAL TRACKING BY GROUND UNITS IN PROGRESS WHEN PLT TURNED ELT OFF TO CONSERVE BATT, ABOUT 2130 PDT. PLT DID NOT TURN ELT ON AGAIN, NEXT MORNING MADE HIS WAY TO I-5 WHERE STATE POLICE SIGHTED HIM.
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: 243 hours in all; 243 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 209 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,608 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 13, 1987; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: WA22 Elma WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.