Piper PA-28-140 accident near Deville, Louisiana, January 13, 1986
On January 13, 1986 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N5655U, was destroyed in an accident near Deville, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- January 13, 1986 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Deville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5655U · no longer on the register · serial 28-26451
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN THIS ACFT IN FLT TRAINING. HOWEVER, THE INSURANCE FOR THE ACFT HAD LAPSED & THE OWNER HAD SECURED THE ACFT TO A TIE-DOWN WITH A CHAIN & PAD LOCK TO PREVENT IT FROM BEING FLOWN. AFTER THE CHAIN WAS CUT WITH A HACK SAW, THE STUDENT FLEW IT ON AN UNAUTHORIZED FLT. DURING THE FLT, HE FLEW OVER & CIRCLED THE HOMES OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT RELATIVES. WHILE THE PLT WAS MAKING A 2ND CIRCLE AROUND THE HOME OF A SISTER, THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT CONTACTED THE TOP OF A LARGE TREE. THE ACFT THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER TREE & LODGED ABOUT 20 FT ABOVE THE GROUND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE STUDENT PLT'S ENDORSEMENT FOR SOLO FLT HAD EXPIRED 17 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS FLT. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS SHOWED THAT HIS BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 162 MG% (0.162%) & HIS URINE/ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 212 MG% (0.212%).
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1985; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LA26 Marksville LA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from ESF, 9 miles away
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.