Murrayair MA1B accident near Nr Lihue Arpt, Hawaii, March 24, 1983
On March 24, 1983 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Murrayair MA1B, registered N101MA, was destroyed in an accident near Nr Lihue Arpt, Hawaii. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1983 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nr Lihue Arpt, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Murrayair MA1B
- Registration
- N101MA · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING A TURN-AROUND WHILE ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATIONS. THE PILOT HAD MADE A FEW RUNS OVER THE SAME FIELD UNTIL HE EXHAUSTED HIS LOAD. AFTER LANDING AND RELOADING HE RETURNED TO THE AREA TO FINISH THE JOB AND ON THE 1ST TURN-AROUND HE COLLIDED WITH A TREE. THE RIGHT TOP WING SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME DURING THE TREE CONTACT AND LANDED ABOUT 100 FEET SHORT OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE ON A DIRECT LINE FROM THE TREE. FIRE BROKE OUT ON IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THE PILOT WAS PULLED FROM THE WRECKAGE BY FIELD WORKERS BUT DIED IN THE HOSPITAL THAT AFTERNOON.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 1,294 in this make and model; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,111 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1983; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,250 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R1820-202A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 pm from L1H, 6 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N101MA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.