Piper PA-36-375 accident near Saint Jo, Texas, February 20, 1982
On February 20, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-375, registered N3802E, was destroyed in an accident near Saint Jo, Texas (Harris Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 20, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Jo, Texas · Harris Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-375 · all PA-36-375s on the register
- Registration
- N3802E · no longer on the register · serial 367802008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF TO THE SOUTH, THE PLANE WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB TO ABOUT 300 FT AGL, THEN TURN TO THE SOUTHWEST. P0WER WAS REDUCED, AND WITHIN THREE TO FIVE MILES, THE AIRCRAFT WAS TURNED BACK TOWARD THE AIRSTRIP. WHILE APPROACHING THE AIRSTRIP AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO BANK SHARPLY TO THE LEFT, ENTER A STEEP DESCENT, AND CRASH.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 247 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 456 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Saint Jo TX at 10:45 am
- Destination: Saint Jo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.