Piper PA-28R-201T accident near West Of Cross C, Florida, July 5, 1982
On July 5, 1982 at about 11:01 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registered N505HP, was involved in an accident near West Of Cross C, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- July 5, 1982 · about 11:01 pm local time
- Place
- West Of Cross C, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N505HP · registry record · serial 28R-7703045
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1605 CDT, THE PILOT ACTIVATED HIS VFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM NASHVILLE, TN TO VENICE, FL. AT 1813, THE PILOT CONTACTED TALLAHASEE FSS AND WAS BRIEFED ON THE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO SARASOTA, FL. THIS WAS THE LAST KNOWN RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIRCRAFT. A RADAR CONTROLLER AT JACKSONVILLE CENTER OBSERVED A TRACK ALONG AIRWAY V-97 THAT MATCHED THE PILOT'S INTENDED ROUTE. HOWEVER, THE PILOT WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH JACKSONVILLE CENTER. LATER, A COMPUTER READOUT OF THE RADAR INFORMATION SHOWED THAT THE FLIGHT PATH AND ALTITUDE OF THE ASSUMED AIRCRAFT BECAME ERRATIC AS IT CONTINUED OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. IT CONTINUED TO THE VICINITY OF LICKS INTERSECTION WHERE IT DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR IN AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THE CAP INITIATED A SEARCH WHICH WAS CONTINUED UNTIL 7/11/82 WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND THE OCCUPANTS WERE PRESUMED DECEASED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 250 hours in all; 11 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,610 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 4:05 pm
- Destination: VNC Venice FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from TLH, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.