Piper PA-28-151 accident near Samantha, Alabama, September 23, 1992
On September 23, 1992 at about 10:26 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N43313, was destroyed in an accident near Samantha, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION, HIS LACK OF EXPEREINCE, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ENCOUNTER WITH INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING AN ATTEMPTED VISUAL FLIGHT, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS, CLOUDS, AND THE PILOT'S GEOGRAPHICAL DISORIENTATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1992 · about 10:26 am local time
- Place
- Samantha, Alabama
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N43313 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7415466
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING & FILED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN JUST BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. CLOUD LAYERS WERE FORECAST ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. EN ROUTE HE CONTACTED ATC & SAID HE WAS LOST. HIS CONVERSATION INDICATED THAT HE WAS IN CLOUDS. RADAR INFORMATION DEPICTED THAT THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRPLANE BECAME ERRATIC IN HEADING & ALTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP FLIGHT PATH & NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED HIS PRIVATE CERTIFICATE ABOUT THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. HIS PILOT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD BEEN RECEIVING INSTRUMENT FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. HE HAD A TOTAL OF 7 SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT HOURS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 96 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,856 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS St. Louis MO at 6:38 am
- Destination: PFN Panama City FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 am from TCL, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N43313 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.