19810216003699A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-32R-300 · El Duque, Puerto Rico · February 16, 1981

Date
February 16, 1981 · 19:30 local
Place
El Duque, Puerto Rico
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N7272F
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA81FA046
Reported as
Piper PA32R300
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
4
Pilot’s flight hours
448 total184 in this make and model29 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft descended into mountain-top at night approaching airport. Pilot in vicinity reported clouds on mountains.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO MOUNTAIN-TOP AT NIGHT APPROACHING AIRPORT. PILOT IN VICINITY REPORTED CLOUDS ON MOUNTAINS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.