Piper PA-23-250 accident near Odessa, Texas, April 21, 1983
On April 21, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6574Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Odessa, Texas (Schlemeyer airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- April 21, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · Schlemeyer
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6574Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-3872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A GEAR UP LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS PUT DOWN ON BASE LEG AND HE HAD 3 GREEN LIGHTS. HE DOES NOT RECALL HEARING A GEAR WARNING HORN. WHEN THE ACFT WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HANGAR THE GEAR WAS UP AND THE GEAR DOORS WERE CLOSED. THE GEAR WAS PUMPED DOWN RESULTING IN ILLUMINATION OF ALL THREE GREEN LIGHTS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 694 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 4,050 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,617 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 2, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ERV Kerrville TX at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 5,000 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°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.
Other NTSB records under N6574Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.