Piper PA-31T accident near Malvern, Arkansas, May 29, 1996
On May 29, 1996 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-31T, registered N333LM, was destroyed in an accident near Malvern, Arkansas (Malvern Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1996 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Malvern, Arkansas · Malvern Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T · all PA-31Ts on the register
- Registration
- N333LM · registry record · serial 31T-7920052
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the completion of scheduled maintenance and a normal ground run up, the airplane departed the airport for a local test flight. Witnesses observed the airplane in a nose high attitude, turn to the left, and then saw the nose drop toward the ground approximately 1 1/2 miles from the departure end of the runway. The airplane impacted hilly terrain and was consumed by a postimpact fire. Detailed examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers revealed no defects or anomalies that would have contributed to the accident.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,483 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 29, 1996; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: M78 at 11:34 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from HOT, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.