Piper PA-28-140 accident near Lakeview, Arkansas, October 8, 2002
On October 8, 2002 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4344J, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeview, Arkansas (Gastons Airport). 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 failure to maintain clearance with the terrain while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2002 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeview, Arkansas · Gastons Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4344J · no longer on the register · serial 28-22720
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single-engine airplane impacted a vertical bluff while maneuvering shortly after takeoff from a grass runway. The flight instructor, a private pilot, and a student flew to the airport, ate dinner, and departed just before nightfall because the runway did not utilize runway lights. Numerous witnesses reported the airplane did not accelerate normally during the takeoff roll, and it took nearly all of the 3,200-foot turf runway to liftoff. The witnesses then described a slow, nose-high climb. The airplane flew to the east along a river before turning to left prior to encountering power lines. The airplane impacted the bluff, and erupted in flames. A post-accident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no anomalies that would have prevented their normal operation. The flap handle was found selected to 25 degrees. People familiar with the airport indicated that the best way to depart the airport area was to fly along a valley that veered toward the northeast instead of flying along the river as the accident flight did. The river is in line with steep bluffs and is crossed by a power lines.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,034 hours in all; 579 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,232.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3M0 Lakeview AR at 6:40 pm
- Destination: SGF Springfield
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,200 ft by 55 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from BPK, 3 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.
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.