Piper PA-28-161 accident near El Paso, Texas, August 18, 1983
On August 18, 1983, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8193Q, was destroyed in an accident near El Paso, Texas (Skyport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- August 18, 1983
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · Skyport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8193Q · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD POSTPONED THE FLT DUE TO WX CONDITIONS. DURING A FLT FROM DEMING, NM TO WACO, TX, THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED WITHIN THE BOUNDRIES OF A PRIVATE ARPT, NORTHWEST OF EL PASO, TX. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP LEFT BANK, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE DEGREE OF DISINTEGRATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THE ACFT WAS TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED DURING IMPACT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE ACCIDENT HAD OCCURRED DURING THE LAST STAGES OF HURRICANE ALICA. ABOUT 12 MI AWAY, THE 1850 MDT WX AT EL PASO WAS, IN PART: CLEAR, VISIBILITY 70 MI, WIND 250 DEG AT 4 KTS. HOWEVER, CUMULONIMBUS BUILDUPS WERE REPORTED IN ALL QUADRANTS & A UH-1 PLT REPORTED RAINSHOWERS & MODERATE TURBULENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE. A TOXICOLOGICAL CHECK OF THE PLT'S MUSCLE TISSUE FLUID SHOWED A CONCENTRATION OF 127MG% (.127%) ALCOHOL. THE PLT HAD VISION IN ONLY 1 EYE & WAS REQUIRED TO PERFORM A TEST OF DEMONSTRATED ABILITY ON EACH RENEWAL OF HIS MED CERT, BUT HE HAD FAILED TO DO SO; THEREFORE, HIS MED CERT WAS INVALID.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aeronautics INC
The flight
- Departed from: DMN Deming NM
- Destination: ACT Waco TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from ELP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.