Piper PA-16 accident near Abilene, Texas, March 20, 1997
On March 20, 1997 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-16, registered N6883K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Abilene, Texas (Elmdale Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unlatching of the front bench seat for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1997 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Elmdale Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-16 · all PA-16s on the register
- Registration
- N6883K · registry record · serial 16-726
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the bench style front seat fell backward, and neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot could reach the controls. The tailwheel equipped airplane ground looped to the left at full throttle, and the right wing tip and right horizontal stabilizer struck the ground. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and reported that the seat adjustment pin came out of the locking hole allowing the seat to slide back to the point where it became uncaptured and rolled over. The flight instructor stated that a 'better seat latch or a positive seat retainer' could have prevented 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 9,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,373 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6F4 at 11:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,950 ft by 25 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.