Piper PA-32R-301T accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, January 11, 1984
On January 11, 1984 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, registered N81753, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- January 11, 1984 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T PA-32R-301 · all PA-32R-301Ts on the register
- Registration
- N81753 · no longer on the register · serial 32R8029070
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER A TOTAL POWER LOSS. PRIOR TO THE TOTAL LOSS THERE HAD BEEN APPROXIMATELY FOUR DROPS IN MANIFOLD PRESSURE. THE GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING, BENDING THE ENGINE MOUNTS & BOTH WING SPARS. THE SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A 100 HR INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED 6 DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AT WHICH TIME THE MECHANICAPPARENTLY FAILED TO ENSURE THAT THE LEFT CROSSOVER EXHAUST COLLECTION ELBOW TUBE WAS PROPERLY ALIGNED & THE CLAMP SECURED. BOTH MAGNETOS HAD SHORTED OUT DUE TO LEAD FROM THE 'P' LEAD ENDS MELTING INTO THE CONDENSERS BECAUSE OF HEAT FROM EXHAUST GASES. THE PILOT HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO LAND AT AIRPORTS SHORT OF HIS DESTINATION BUT CHOSE TO CONTINUE FLIGHT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,005 hours in all; 158 in this make and model; 131 in the last 90 days; 1,919 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 577 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 5, 1984; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Flight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ELP El Paso TX at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:28 pm from ABQ, 3 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.
Other NTSB records under N81753 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.