Douglas DC-3 accident near 15Nm W. Opa Loc, Florida, January 21, 1982
On January 21, 1982 at about 6:54 am local time, a Douglas DC-3, registered N211TA, was destroyed in an accident near 15Nm W. Opa Loc, Florida (Opa Locka West airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- January 21, 1982 · about 6:54 am local time
- Place
- 15Nm W. Opa Loc, Florida · Opa Locka West
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3 · all DC-3s on the register
- Registration
- N211TA · registry record · serial 6342
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A TOUCH & GO THE DUAL STUDENT ADDED POWER RAPIDLY & THE LEFT ENG SPUTTERED CAUSING THE ACFT TO SWERVE LEFT. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL BUT FELT RESISTANCE ON THE CONTROLS FROM THE STUDENT. HE THEN REDUCED POWER ON BOTH ENGS & THEN REAPPLIED POWER AT WHICH TIME HE FELT BOTH ENGS COME UP TO POWER. AT THIS POINT THE LEFT WING CAUGHT SCRUB TREES 90 FT TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,856 hours in all; 5,900 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 10,686 as pilot in command; 3 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,721 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,200 lb
- Seats: 16
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Curtiswright R-1820-202A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tursair, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Opa Locka FL
- Destination: Opa Locka FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.