Stinson 10A accident near Miami, Florida, March 30, 1983
On March 30, 1983 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Stinson 10A, registered N39431, was destroyed in an accident near Miami, Florida (Kendall Gliderport airport). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1983 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Kendall Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 10A · all 10As on the register
- Registration
- N39431 · no longer on the register · serial 8231
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER OF THE ACFT SAID THAT THE PLT WAS NEGOTIATING TO BUY THE ACFT BUT CONDUCTED THIS FLT WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORITY IN THE ACFT THAT WAS NOT AIRWORTHY. THE PLT HAD LANDED THE ACFT EARLIER IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION DECLARING A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE AND RPM. AFTER LOOKING THE PLANE OVER AND CHARGING THE BATTERY TO GET THE ACFT STARTED THE PLT TOOK OFF AGAIN AND STRUGGLED HALFWAY AROUND THE TRAFFIC PATTERN IN A SEMI-STALLED STATE UNTIL HE CRASHED AND NOSED OVER.THE PLT GAVE A FICTICIOUS NAME TO AUTHORITIES AND DISAPPEARED. HIS TRUE IDENTITY WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE OWNER SAID THE PLT HAD READ THE ACFT LOGBOOKS AND KNEW THE ACFT WAS NOT AIRWORTHY.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 860 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 4AC-199-E3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:49 pm from TMB, 8 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.