Piper PA-31T incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, February 19, 1988
On February 19, 1988, a Piper PA-31T, registered N2645Z, suffered minor damage in an incident near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt. 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 incident. 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
- February 19, 1988
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T · all PA-31Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2645Z · no longer on the register · serial 31T-7520009
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT FL270, RIGHT SIDE COCKPIT WINDOW FAILED, RESULTING IN DECOMPRESSION. ACFT DIVERTED TO NORMAL LANDING. EXAMINATION REVEALED LOWER BOLTS OVERTORQUED AND PLEXIGLAS COMPROMISED BY EXCESS PRIMER, INITIATING CRACKING. EVIDENCE INDICATED WINDOW NOT ORIGINAL INSTALLATION, BUT REVIEW OF MAINT RECORDS SHOWED NO RECORD OF WINDOW REPLACEMENT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,389 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: CCB Cable CA at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.