Piper PA-22-150 accident near Sulphur, Louisiana, March 9, 1986
On March 9, 1986 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3821P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sulphur, Louisiana (Lake Charles airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1986 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Sulphur, Louisiana · Lake Charles · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3821P · registry record · serial 22-3511
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON MARCH 9, 1986, AT 0900 CST, PIPER AIRCRAFT PA22-150, N3821P, REGISTERED TO DERRICK D. SMITH, EXPERIENCED A POWER FAILURE DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THIS WAS A PLEASURE FLIGHT IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PILOT, WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED AT DEQUINCY, LOUISIANA, ON MARCH 9, 1986, AT APPROXIMATELY 0800 HOURS.
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: 117 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,990 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1986; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5R8 Dequincy LA at 2:15 pm
- Destination: LCH Lake Charles LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N3821P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3821P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt 2,943 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320A2 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lake Charles Regional · nearest airport
- DE Quincy Industrial Airpark · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,729 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3821P 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW86LRD09.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.