Piper PA-24-250 accident near Longview, Texas, November 10, 1993
On November 10, 1993 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6651P, was destroyed in an accident near Longview, Texas. It was a personal flight 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
POOR JUDGMENT OF THE PILOT DUE TO IMPAIRMENT FROM CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL AND USE OF A DRUG (MARIJUANA), AND HIS FAILURE TO CORRECT A DESCENT, WHILE MANEUVERING AT LOW ALTITUDE. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 1993 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Longview, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6651P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1774
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED IN THE VICINITY OF THE GREGG COUNTY AIRPORT, FLYING AT 'NO MORE THAN 150 TO 200 FEET AGL. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT IT ENTERED A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN AS THE PILOT RADIOED A DISTRESS CALL, THEN IT CRASHED INTO TREES & TERRAIN. NO REDUCTION OF ENGINE POWER WAS NOTED BEFORE IMPACT, & NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND. RECORDS OF THE PILOT INDICATED HE WAS ENROLLED IN A SUBSTANCE ABUSE & ALCOHOL PROGRAM. HE HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED AS SUICIDAL AFTER USE OF ALCOHOL, HAD A HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, & HIS LIFE HAD BECOME STRAINED AFTER FACING A NUMBER OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS. TOXICOLOGY TESTS OF THE PILOT FOR ETHANOL SHOWED 209 MG/DL IN BLOOD, 65 MG/DL IN VITREOUS FLUID, & 69 MG/DL IN URINE. DRUG TESTS SHOWED ACETALDEBYDE LEVELS OF 13 MG/DL IN BLOOD & 14 MG/DL IN URINE; 0.008 UG/ML OF TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL CARBOXYLIC ACID (METABOLITE OF MARIJUANA) WAS DETECTED IN THE PILOT'S URINE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,115 hours in all; 962 in this make and model; 1,115 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1993; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:42 pm from GGG, 1 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.