Piper PA-22-150 accident near Mansfield, Louisiana, August 24, 1987
On August 24, 1987 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N5700D, was destroyed in an accident near Mansfield, Louisiana (Desota Parish airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 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
- August 24, 1987 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Louisiana · Desota Parish · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N5700D · no longer on the register · serial 22-4396
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPORT WAS 324 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. THE OAT WAS 96 DEGREES F. THE AIRPLANE, WITH THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS, LIFTED OFF THE RWY BUT WOULD NOT CLIMB. A WITNESS STATED THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL BUT THE NOSE WAS VERY HIGH. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AND THE TERRAIN AND STARTED BURNING AFTER GROUND IMPACT. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE FOR THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WAS COMPUTED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 3000 FEET.
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: 185 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 185 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3F3 at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from SHV, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.