Piper PA-34-200 accident near Vacherie, Louisiana, January 7, 1994
On January 7, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N1063U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vacherie, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION ENGINE POWER LOSS DUE TO THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REFUEL. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN AVAILABLE FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Vacherie, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N1063U · no longer on the register · serial 34-7250049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT LOST ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION IN BOTH ENGINES 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE NEW ORLEANS VORTAC (MSY). THE PILOT ALIGNED THE AIRPLANE WITH A ROAD. WHEN HE DETERMINED HE WAS LANDING DOWN WIND AND THE ROAD WAS COMING TO AN END, HE TURNED TOWARDS AN OPEN FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A TELEPHONE POLE AND CAME TO REST IN A CANAL. THE PILOT HAD MADE MULTIPLE STOPS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HE REFUELED AT ANY OF THE STOPS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,535 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,445 as pilot in command; 570 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,050 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 8, 1993; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: MSY New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.