Mitsubishi MU-2B accident near Patterson, Louisiana, October 20, 1983
On October 20, 1983 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, registered N444PA, was destroyed in an accident near Patterson, Louisiana (Patterson airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- October 20, 1983 · about 3:40 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Patterson, Louisiana · Patterson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B · all MU-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N444PA · registry record · serial 691
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DESCENDING INTO THE PATTERSON AREA ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO HOLD & WAS ADVISED THAT HE WOULD BE THE #2 ACFT FOR AN APPROACH TO THE PATTERSON ARPT. A FEW WINUTES LATER THE PLT ASKED HOW LONG THE DELAY WOULD BE. HE SUBSEQUENTLY STATED HE HAD THE ARPT, CANCELLED IFR & WAS GOING IN VFR. A PLT WHO HAD JUST DEPARTED THE ARPT HEARD A MITSUBISHI CALL 'TURNING BASE.' HE COULD NOT SEE AN ACFT ON BASE FOR RWY 5. HE CALLED BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A REPLY. THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES ALONG A HEADING OF ABOUT 225 DEG. THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED ABOUT 5 DEG & THE LANDING GEAR WERE EXTENDED.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 3,372 hours in all; 1,211 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 3,372 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,237 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 26, 1983; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,361 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-252M (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm from PTN, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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
- N444PA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mitsubishi MU-2 176 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mitsubishi 198 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-252M 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Addison Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,729 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW84FA028.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.