- Date
- December 20, 1984, 19:06 local (Dec 21, 1984, 01:06 UTC)
- Place
- Pine Bluff, AR
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N203ATPiper PA-28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841220068179A
- Case key
- 33867
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - cloudsFactor
Weather condition - obscurationFactor
Visual lookout - reducedFactor
Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical
Fluid,fuel - exhaustionCause
Became lost/disoriented - inadvertentCause
Remedial action - delayedCause
Forced landing
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
While on a x-country personal flight, the plt became disoriented near Pine Bluff, AR. He flew for several minutes before contacting air traffic control for assistance. While being vectured to the Pine Bluff airport by ATC, the acft ran out of fuel and crashed. Wx at the time of accident was marginal VFR with 3700 ft overcast, 3 miles visibility and fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N203AT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7715040
- Airframe hours
- 4,450
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Terry Hughes
- Registered owner
- Air Trak, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 14, 1984 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- 79J · Andalusia, AL
- Destination
- M99 · Benton, AR
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 172 total · 12 in this make and model · 120 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBF, 10 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.