Piper PA-23-250 accident near Plainview, Texas, November 13, 1996
On November 13, 1996 at about 5:05 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N5443, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainview, Texas (Hale County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's continued descent below the minimum descent altitude (MDA). Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, the adverse weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1996 · about 5:05 am local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Plainview, Texas · Hale County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5443 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7405473
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot initially requested and was assigned 8,000 feet, and was later issued 10,000 feet as a final altitude assignment for the en route portion of his instrument flight to the Hale County Airport. As the airplane approached the Plainview VOR, the pilot was cleared by ATC for the published VOR approach to runway 04, and he was twice issued the current Lubbock altimeter as 30.42 inches. The airplane, configured with the landing gear extended, touched down on the runway's extended centerline, approximately 3/4 of a mile from the landing threshold for runway 04. Examination of the airplane revealed that the pilot's altimeter was set on 30.67 inches. The minimum descent altitude for the approach was 3,840 feet, and the field elevation was 3,372 feet. The top of the fog was reported at 4,200 feet.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,951 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,834 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 3:00 am
- Destination: PVW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5443: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec 1,315 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,848 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 5,073 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hale County · nearest airport
- Fort Worth Meacham International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW97LA040.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.