Piper PA-28-161 accident near Aubrey, Texas, October 14, 1983
On October 14, 1983 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8161S, was destroyed in an accident near Aubrey, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- October 14, 1983 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aubrey, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8161S · registry record · serial 28-8016217
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO GIVE A BFR TO THE PRIVATE RATED PLT WHO HAD NOT FLOWN FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT STATED THAT HE COULD RECALL DOING BASIC AIRWORK DURING THE FLT, BUT COULD NOT RECALL ANY DETAILS OF THE FLT JUST PRIOR TO & DURING THE CRASH. THE ACFT HAD CONTACTED A TREE ON THE EDGE OF A POND ABOUT 30 FT AGL.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,261 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 5, 1983; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 5:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 17 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from FTW, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.