Piper PA-28-161 accident near Lake Charles, Louisiana, July 30, 1984
On July 30, 1984 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4314D, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- July 30, 1984 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Charles, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4314D · no longer on the register · serial 288316104
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 250 FT AG., ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, ENG SOUNDS INDICATED THAT POWER WAS REDUCED TO IDLE. THE ACFT ROLLED INTO A STEEP LEFT DESCENDING TURN FOLLOWED BY THE APPLICATION OF POWER JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE CFI WAS KNOWN TO HAVE GIVEN OTHER STUDENTS SIMULATED ENG FAILURES SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. AN OPEN FIELD IS ADJACENT TO THE ARPT ON THE RWY EXTENDED CENTERLINE. DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENG REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN INTERRUPTION OF POWER.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,828 hours in all; 1,681 as pilot in command; 1,022 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 488 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 1984; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,447 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mcfillen Air Charter INC
The flight
- Departed from: 4RO Lake Charles LA at 3:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:46 pm from LCH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.