Piper PA-31-310 accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee, October 4, 1982
On October 4, 1982 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-310, registered N1ET, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1982 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dyersburg, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-310 · all PA-31-310s on the register
- Registration
- N1ET · registry record · serial 31-506
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 30 MI NORTH OF THE DESTINATION, THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE RIGHT ENG COWL POPPED LOOSE & BEGAN VIBRATING SEVERELY, THE PLT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE COWLING WOULD BREAK LOOSE & STRIKE THE VERT OF HORIZ STABILIZER SO HE FEATHERED THE R ENG. ATTHIS POINT, THE ARPT WAS ABOUT 19 MI AWAY. HOWEVER, HE STATED HE COULDN'T GET MORE THAN 28-29 INCHES OF MP ON THE L ENG & ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE R ENG. THE PROP CAME OUT OF FEATHER BUT THE ENG WOULD NOT START. THE WINDMILLING PROP CAUSED THE RATE OF DESCENT TO INCREASE & MADE A FORCED LANDING IMMINENT. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE GR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT NOSED OVER ONTO ITS BACK. THE R ENG FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE OFF POSITION. DURING THE TEST OF THE R ENG, IT RAN NORMALLY & REACHED 34-35 INCHES OF MP WITH NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,400 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,266 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Midwest Air Svcs. INC.
The flight
- Departed from: St. Louis MO at 9:50 am
- Destination: Dyersburg TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.