Piper PA-31-350 accident near San Carlos, Arizona, December 13, 1983
On December 13, 1983 at about 2:45 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N3110M, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Carlos, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 1983 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- San Carlos, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N3110M · registry record · serial 31-7552126
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT LANDING ON A ROAD, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT HIT A BERM. ACCORDING TO CUSTOMS OFFICIALS. THE PLT HAD CIRCLED WHILE GROUND PERSONNEL PLACED ROWS OF LIGHTS ADJACENT TO THE ROAD, THEN HE LANDED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT ILLEGAL DRUGS HAD BEEN UNLOADED, THEN THE ACFT WAS INTENTIONALLY SET ON FIRE. THE PLT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED. HE WAS PRESUMED NOT TO HAVE BEEN INJURED.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX84LA426.