Piper PA-34-220T accident near Carthage, Texas, September 4, 1988
On September 4, 1988 at about 4:48 am local time, a Piper PA-34-220T, registered N83874, was destroyed in an accident near Carthage, Texas (Panola County-Sharpe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- September 4, 1988 · about 4:48 am local time
- Place
- Carthage, Texas · Panola County-Sharpe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T · all PA-34-220Ts on the register
- Registration
- N83874 · no longer on the register · serial 34-8133096
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE PLT RPRTD HE COULD MAKE A VISUAL APCH. AT 2341:37 CDT, THE ARTCC CONTROLLER INFORMED HIM THE DESTN ARPT WAS STRAIGHT AHEAD AT 12 MI & REQUESTED THAT HE RPRT WHEN THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT. AT 2343:30, HE RPRTD THE RWYIN SIGHT & THE CONTROLLER CLEARED HIM FOR A VISUAL APCH. THE FINAL PORTIONS OF THE FLT WERE BELOW THE ALT FOR RADAR COVERAGE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA, AT A LOCATION & ON A HEADING THAT WOULD APPROXIMATE A LEFT BASE LEG FOR RWY 35. HOWEVER, INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH TREES WHILE IN A STEEP RIGHT BANK. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DRG THE INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH OFFICIAL RPRTS FROM WX STATIONS IN THE AREA SHOWED THE WX WAS ABOVE VFR MINIMUMS, PERSONNEL IN THE AREA OF THE ACDNT SITE RPRTD THE SKY CONDITION WAS OBSCURED WITH FOG.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 988 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1988; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: STF Starkville MS at 3:00 am
- Destination: 4F2
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.