Piper PA-31 accident near Port Mansfield, Texas, January 17, 1982
On January 17, 1982 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N9181Y, was destroyed in an accident near Port Mansfield, Texas (Port Mansfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- January 17, 1982 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Mansfield, Texas · Port Mansfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N9181Y · no longer on the register · serial 7103102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AND BURNED ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 12. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT "THE PLANE JUST FELL" WHILE THE PILOT WAS MAKING A SHARP TURN. AN ESTIMATED 1500 LBS OF MARIJUANA WAS ON BOARD.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540A2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: Port Mansfield TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,222 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.