- Date
- January 17, 1982, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Port Mansfield, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9181YPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 17, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820117001029A
- Case key
- 72289
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft crashed and burned about 1/2 mile from the approach end of runway 12. A witness reported that "the plane just fell" while the pilot was making a sharp turn. An estimated 1500 lbs of marijuana was on board.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9181Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7103102
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540A2C, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- J. J. Dupont
- Registered owner
- J. J. Dupont
- Destination
- Port Mansfield, TX
- Airport
- T05 · Port Mansfield, runway 12, 3,222 × 50 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.