Piper PA-38-112 accident near El Paso, Texas, November 30, 1982
On November 30, 1982 at about 8:31 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2521N, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Paso, Texas (West Texas Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1982 · about 8:31 am local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · West Texas Airport · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2521N · registry record · serial 3879A0888
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON LANDING THE PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A GO-AROUND DUE TO GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS. ON THE NEXT LANDING ATTEMPT THE PILOT INITIATED A GO-AROUND FROM SHORT FINAL AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUNWAY, STALLED THE AIRCRAFT AND COLLIDED WITH SAND DUNES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT'S FLAPS WERE IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION.
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: 64 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 27 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 718 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: SW Air Rangers Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: AI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,300 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2521N on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 442 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lucky Star Ranch Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW83LA048.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.