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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1982 · about 5:58 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Texas · Hunt · 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW82FA156.