Piper PA-32R accident near Cross City, Florida, March 1, 1983
On March 1, 1983 at about 2:50 am local time, a Piper PA-32R, registered N3898F, was destroyed in an accident near Cross City, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- March 1, 1983 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Cross City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R · all PA-32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3898F · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680418
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A NIGHT LANDING ON A LONELY STRETCH OF COUNTRY ROAD. THE LANDING WAS AN ATTEMPT TO UNLOAD 662 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA IN AN ILLEGAL DRUG OPERATION.A PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE INJURED PILOT WAS FOUND LATER IN THE LOCAL HOSPITAL.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIA5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Unk
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from GNV, 57 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.