Piper PA-32RT-301T accident near San Angelo, Texas, June 30, 1984
On June 30, 1984 at about 1:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-301T, registered N3571U, was destroyed in an accident near San Angelo, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- June 30, 1984 · about 1:20 pm local time
- Place
- San Angelo, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-301T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-301Ts on the register
- Registration
- N3571U · no longer on the register · serial 3248029032
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS IN A CLIMB TO CRUISE WHEN HE SMELLED SMOKE. HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED BACK TOWARDS THE ARPT BUT THE CABIN FILLED WITH SMOKE SO HE ELECTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A PLOWED FIELD. AFTER LANDING THE ACFT WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE.
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: 1,320 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 343 in the last 90 days; 1,159 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 1984; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SJT San Angelo TX
- Destination: MAF Midland TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from SJT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.