Piper PA-23F-250 accident near Moab, Utah, February 16, 1983
On February 16, 1983 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-23F-250, registered N63808, was destroyed in an accident near Moab, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- February 16, 1983 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Moab, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23F-250 · all PA-23F-250s on the register
- Registration
- N63808 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7754132
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE TOP OF A MESA AT THE 5500 FT LEVEL (MSL). THE ACFT THEN CARTWHEELED ABOUT 300 FT ON A HEADING OF 360 DEGREES. SHERIFFS DEPUTIES DISCOVERED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE THAT THE ACFT WAS LOADED WITH MARIJUANA WEIGHING ABOUT798 LBS. AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA ESTIMATED AT 200 LBS WAS SCATTERED ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH. TWO BODIES WERE RECOVERED AT THE SCENE. NEITHER WAS THE PLT WHO HAD RENTED THE ACFT. THREE DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE PLT WHO HAD ORIGINALLY RENTED THE ACFT REPORTED THE ACFT STOLEN. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED IF THERE WAS A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE RENTER AND THE DECREASED ACFT OCCUPANTS. THE PILOTS BODY TESTED POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL & DRUGS, WITH AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.066%. PERCENT. THE ACFT WAS HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARD THE ROTATING BEACON AT CANYONLANDS ARPT, ELEVATION 4574 FT MSL. THE DENSITYALT WAS COMPUTED TO BE 5359 FT AT THE CRASH SITE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE DEPARTURE POINT AND THE DESTINATION OFTHE ACFT WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE ACFT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE RETURNED THE DAY AFTER THE ACCIDENT BY THE ORIGINAL RENTER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 670 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Rocky Mountain Piper Aircraft
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:46 am from GJC, 82 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.