Teal TSC-1A accident near Port Sulphur, Louisiana, January 6, 1983
On January 6, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Teal TSC-1A, registered N2004T, was destroyed in an accident near Port Sulphur, Louisiana (Birdwin airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 6, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Sulphur, Louisiana · Birdwin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Teal TSC-1A
- Registration
- N2004T · no longer on the register · serial 4
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG LOST POWER DURING A PULL-UP FROM A LOW PASS OVER THE ARPT. THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN THE ICY MISSISSIPPI RIVER WITH THE GEAR DOWN. THE AMPHIBIAN STRUCK A SUBMERGED OBJECT IN THE RIVER & FLIPPED OVER. THE PLT & PAX ATTEMPTED TO SWIM TO SHORE BUT DUE TO THE EXCEEDINGLY COLD WATER TEMPERATURE ONLY THE PLT REACHED THE BANK OF THE RIVER. THE PAX IS MISSING & PRESUMED DROWNED.
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
- Flight time: 612 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 561 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 505 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 27, 1983; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.