Piper PA-28-161 accident near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, April 17, 1983
On April 17, 1983 at about 2:40 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N3572Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (Bordelon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- April 17, 1983 · about 2:40 am local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Breaux Bridge, Louisiana · Bordelon · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N3572Z · no longer on the register · serial 28-8016214
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF AT NIGHT FROM AN UNLIT TURF STRIP. JUST BEFORE THE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF, TWO SETS OF VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS WERE DIRECTED DOWN BOTH SIDES OF THE RNWY TO HELP THE PILOT IN THE TAKEOFF. ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RNWY, APRX 1500 FEET DOWN, WAS A GROUP OF BUSHES FROM 10 TO 30 FEET TALL. THE GRASS ON THE RUNWAY WAS ABOUT 8 INCHES TALL AND WET. THE EDGES OF THE RUNWAY WERE NOT EASY TO DETERMINE, THUS HE STARTED HIS TAKEOFF ROLL TO THE RIGHT OF CENTERLINE. USING SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF TECHNIQUE HE ROTATED AT ABOUT 20 KTS LIMITING HIS FORWARD VISIBILITY. AT ABOUT 40-45 KTS THE RIGHT WING STRUCK THE BUSHES CAUSING HIM TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE ACFT LEFT THE RNWY, SPUN 180 DEGREES AND CAME TO REST IN A PLOWED FIELD ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 785 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 658 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 922 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1982; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: NEW New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,950 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N3572Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3572Z: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,623 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G 133 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Baton Rouge Heliport · nearest airport
- Lakefront Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,729 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3572Z 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW83LA190.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.