Piper PA-28-161 accident near Devers, Texas, November 14, 1983
On November 14, 1983 at about 1:17 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8092Z, was destroyed in an accident near Devers, Texas. It was a personal 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1983 · about 1:17 am local time
- Place
- Devers, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8092Z · registry record · serial 28-8016085
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES WHILE MANEUVERING AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE AFTER DARK IN A POPULAR DEER HUNTING AREA. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED ROLLING INTO STEEP BANK WITH THE ENG 'REVVED UP' THEN SUDDENLY YAWED TOWARD THE GROUND. THE ACFT LIGHTS WERE ON.
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: 691 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 691 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,559 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1983; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Professional Aviation Service
The flight
- Departed from: Porter TX
- Destination: BMT Beaumont TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from IAH, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.