Smith AEROSTAR 600 accident near Portland, Texas, April 29, 1982
On April 29, 1982 at about 5:58 pm local time, a Smith AEROSTAR 600, registered N133TS, was destroyed in an accident near Portland, Texas (Hunt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1982 · about 5:58 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Portland, Texas · Hunt · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith AEROSTAR 600 AEROSTAR 6 · all AEROSTAR 600s on the register
- Registration
- N133TS · registry record · serial 60-0130-057
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DESCENDING NEAR THE DESTINATION, THE LEFT ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED 2 AIRSTARTS WHICH WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. HE FEATHERED AND SECURED THE LEFT ENGINE AND REQUESTED RADAR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. A VISUAL APPROACH WAS MADE TO THE HUNT AIRPORT AT PORTLAND, TX. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS HAVING NO DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING AIRSPEED EVEN WITH THE GEAR DOWN UNTIL HE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH. ON SHORT FINAL, HE EXTENDED FULL FLAPS. HE STATED THAT AS SOON AS HE PUT THE FLAP HANDLE DOWN, HE REALIZED HE MADE A MISTAKE, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE TO TAKE ANY ACTION TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM LANDING SHORT. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON RISING TERRAIN BETWEEN THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND A NEARBY SHORELINE, TRAVELED UP THE EMBANKMENT AND ONTO THE RUNWAY, THEN BURNED. THE PILOT ESCAPED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THE FIRE DAMAGED LEFT ENGINE WAS DISASSEMBLED, BUT NO PREIMPACT FAILURE WAS FOUND. REPORTEDLY, THE PLANE HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN SINCE FEB 82. BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE BATTERY WAS DEAD.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,415 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Austin TX at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Corpus Christi TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 2,700 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 178°F (81°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:10 pm from CRP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N133TS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Smith AEROSTAR 600 42 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Smith 184 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1B5 3 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hunt Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW82FA156.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.