Piper PA-31-350 accident near Ocala, Florida, March 28, 1983
On March 28, 1983, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N123WK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ocala, Florida (Ocala Municipal airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1983
- Place
- Ocala, Florida · Ocala Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N123WK · registry record · serial 317952003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN WHILE ON A LOCALIZER 36 APPROACH AT OCALA, FL THE WEATHER WAS IMC AND THE FLIGHT WAS ON AN IFR CLEARANCE. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED BUT THE OCCUPANTS WERE NOT INJURED. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE ON THE FINAL SEGMENT OF THE LOCALIZER 36 APPROACH HE BROKE OUT OF THE OVERCAST AT 600 FEET AND SAW THE RUNWAY TO HIS RIGHT AT ABOUT ONE MILE. ON TURNING TOWARD THE RUNWAY HE ENTERED A LAYER OF FOG AND DESCENDED TO GROUND CONTACT. A RECOVERY WAS MADE AND THE ACFT WAS FLOWN OUT OF THE FOG AND LANDED ON RUNWAY 36 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,370 hours in all; 93 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 4,202 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,470 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 71J Ozark AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 5,007 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA83LA105.