Piper PA-28RT-201T accident near Marianna, Arkansas, March 13, 2002
On March 13, 2002, a Piper PA-28RT-201T, registered N84719, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marianna, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into adverse weather conditions and his failure to maintain clearance with terrain while maneuvering. Factors were, the low cloud and mist weather conditions, and the dark night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2002
- Place
- Marianna, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201T · all PA-28RT-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N84719 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-8231014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 43 minutes after departure on a cross-country flight, the airplane was substantially damaged while maneuvering when it failed to maintain clearance with terrain in a heavily wooded area about 1 1/2 miles west of the Mississippi River. The non-instrument rated private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The pilot contacted the Jonesboro Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and requested an en route weather briefing, initially commenting, "Gonna head over to Tunica, VFR. I'll be skuddin it, it looks like." The specialist advised the pilot that there weren't any Airmets across the route of flight, there was nothing on radar, high pressure was building from the west, and that to the east, the area was still under the influence of a low pressure system. The specialist also reported that Memphis, located 42 nautical miles northeast and the closest weather reporting point to the accident site, was reporting broken clouds at 1,100 feet, but had just dropped down to a ceiling of 900 feet broken, 1,400 feet overcast, 2 1/2 miles visibility, and ceiling variable between about 700 feet and 1,100 feet. A Senior NTSB meteorologist reported that the lower atmosphere in the Memphis area was nearly saturated, and that the Memphis cloud ceiling gradually lowered after the pilot obtained his en route weather briefing. The 1853 Memphis observation reported a variable ceiling between 400 and 1,100 feet, light drizzle, and mist. The meteorologist also reported that it was likely that encountered instrument meteorological conditions just prior to the accident, which were similar to the conditions being reported in the Memphis area.
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: 350 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2001; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,451 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-FB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LIT Little Rock AR
- Destination: M97 Tunica MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
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.