- Date
- January 11, 1983, 09:13 local (13:13 UTC)
- Place
- Culebra, PR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N20FHPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830111005769A
- Case key
- 30844
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 flight had departed st. thomas, VI at 0900 on a VFR flight plan to roosevelt roads after discharging passengers in st. thomas. While enroute in cruise at 1800 MSL the engine failed. He turned toward the island of Culebra and when all efforts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, the aircraft was ditched about 200 yards offshore. The pilot swam ashore. The aircraft sank and the wreckage was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20FH
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-154
- Airframe hours
- 4,513
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- U.S. Naval Station Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Timothy A. Rocklein
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 12, 1982 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- STT · St. Thomas
- Destination
- JNR · Roosevelt Roads, PR
- 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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 225 total · 38 in this make and model · 172 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JNR, 22 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.