Piper PA-23-250 accident near Jennings, Louisiana, August 31, 1996
On August 31, 1996 at about 4:23 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N14196, was destroyed in an accident near Jennings, Louisiana. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance. Factors were the pilot's lack of recent experience in the make and model of airplane, the dark night, and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1996 · about 4:23 am local time
- Place
- Jennings, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N14196 · no longer on the register · serial 27-4758
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a night aerial application flight, the multiengine airplane impacted trees bordering a bayou/swamp area. The airplane was flown by a single pilot accompanied by a crew member to operate the spraying equipment. Company personnel stated that the crew member never flew the airplane. Two other pilots observed patchy fog forming along the ground and around the wooded bayou areas and returned to the airport. Local authorities stated that 'fog often forms up like a cloud out of the woods and spreads at tree height' during the night hours. The pilot's total flight time in the PA-23 airplane was 75 hrs (9.0 hrs in the previous 3 years). Marginal VFR weather with mist & thunderstorms was forecast. Airmet Sierra was valid for ceilings below 1,000 feet AGL with visibility below 3 miles with precipitation and mist. Area stations reported a temperature/dewpoint spread of one degree or less and the radiosonde data indicated a temperature/dewpoint spread of 4 degrees or less from the surface to 5,407 feet MSL. Terminal forecast winds were 5 knots or less. The average relative humidity was 90% with precipitable water at 139%.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,982 hours in all; 75 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1995; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R7 at 2:40 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.