- Date
- August 12, 1983, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ville Platte, LA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N21537Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830812040669A
- Case key
- 20754
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
Prior to takeoff the plt had received a wx briefing & was advised that VFR flt was not recommended. He was given convective SIGMET 13C which called for thunderstorms with tops above 45,000 ft throughout his route of flt. About 25 minafter takeoff four witnesses saw the acft just before it crashed. Two stated that they saw the acft in a turn at about 300 ft when a wing separated. The other two stated that the wing had already separated when they saw the acft. A heavy thunderstorm was in progress at the time. An exam of the wreckage revealed that the right wing had failed in an upward direction & both horizontal stabilators had separated downward. The plt's blood alcohol level was 0.136%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21537
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7990053
- Airframe hours
- 1,740
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- American Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 27, 1983 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- 9LA6 · Alexandria, LA
- Destination
- CEW · Crestview, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 209 total · 5 in this make and model · 164 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ESF, 50 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.