Piper PA-38-112 accident near Laredo, Texas, December 19, 1984
On December 19, 1984 at about 3:53 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N9249T, was destroyed in an accident near Laredo, Texas (Larendo Intl. airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1984 · about 3:53 am local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Laredo, Texas · Larendo Intl. · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N9249T · no longer on the register · serial 38-78A0296
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A DOWNWIND LEG OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT A LOW ALT (ESTIMATED 100 FT AGL). THE WITNESS LOOKED AWAY FOR A MOMENT. WHEN HE LOOKED BACK, HE DID NOT SEE THE ACFT. A SEARCH WAS INTIATED & THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGICAL CHECKS OF THE PLT'S BLOOD AND URINE BY CAMI SHOWED ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 0.406% AND 0.075% RESPECTIVELY. A TOXICOLOGICAL TEST PERFORMED BY MERCY HOSPITAL, LAREDO, TX, SHOWED A BAC LEVEL OF 0.112%. VARIANCE BETWEEN ALCOHOL LEVELS IN THE BLOOD AND URINE SIMILIAR TO THIS CASE CAN ALSO RESULT WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL IS IN AN ABSORPTIVE STATE. THE PLT HAD NOT LOGGED ANY NIGHT TIME IN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS.
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: 152 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 398 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LRD at 2:17 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17C, 7,810 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:47 am from LRD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9249T: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 442 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,848 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Laredo International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW85FA079.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.