Piper PA-32-260 accident near Culebra, Puerto Rico, January 11, 1983
On January 11, 1983 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N20FH, was destroyed in an accident near Culebra, Puerto Rico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 1983 · about 1:13 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Culebra, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N20FH · registry record · serial 32-154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED ST. THOMAS, VI AT 0900 ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN TO ROOSEVELT ROADS AFTER DISCHARGING PASSENGERS IN ST. THOMAS. WHILE ENROUTE IN CRUISE AT 1800 MSL THE ENGINE FAILED. HE TURNED TOWARD THE ISLAND OF CULEBRA AND WHEN ALL EFFORTS TO RESTART THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DITCHED ABOUT 200 YARDS OFFSHORE. THE PILOT SWAM ASHORE. THE AIRCRAFT SANK AND THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: 225 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 172 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,513 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 1982; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Naval Station Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: STT St. Thomas at 1:00 pm
- Destination: JNR Roosevelt Roads PR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from JNR, 22 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N20FH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 21 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cyril E King Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Puerto Rico 282 since 1982 · 33 in the last ten years
- Puerto Rico 493 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA83LA070.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.