Piper PA-30 accident near Sulpher, Louisiana, October 2, 1986
On October 2, 1986, a Piper PA-30, registered N7533Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sulpher, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1986
- Place
- Sulpher, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7533Y · registry record · serial 30-596
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED LONG AT A PRIVATE GRASS AIRSTRIP AND DELIBERATELY GROUND LOOPED THE AIRCRAFT TO AVOID OVERRUNNING THE AIRSTRIP INTO A THREE FOOT DITCH. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE GROUND LOOP AND THE WINGS AND MAIN GEARS WERE DAMAGED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT SLID SIDEWAYS ACROSS A DITCH AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED LITTLE BRAKING ACTION AS THE AIRSTRIP WAS WET FROM RECENT RAINS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,578 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 231 in the last 90 days; 800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LCH Lake Charles LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from LCH, 12 miles away
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.
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.