Piper PA-39 accident near N. Ft. Lauderda, Florida, October 22, 1982
On October 22, 1982 at about 2:52 pm local time, a Piper PA-39, registered N8856Y, was destroyed in an accident near N. Ft. Lauderda, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- October 22, 1982 · about 2:52 pm local time
- Place
- N. Ft. Lauderda, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-39 · all PA-39s on the register
- Registration
- N8856Y · no longer on the register · serial 39-11
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT SAYS HE REFUELED AT NASSAU WITH 20 GALS IN AUX. TANKS. ESTIMATED 10 GALS EACH MAIN TANK. 45 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE #1 ENG. FAILED. 5 MINUTES LATER #2 FAILED. AIRCRAFT SANK.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hernandez Aircraft Leasing Cor
The flight
- Departed from: Nassau at 9:43 am
- Destination: Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 am from FLL, 10 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.
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.