Piper PT 6A-28 accident near W. Palm Beach, Florida, June 1, 1983
On June 1, 1983 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Piper PT 6A-28, registered N831PC, was destroyed in an accident near W. Palm Beach, Florida. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people 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
- June 1, 1983 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- W. Palm Beach, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PT 6A-28
- Registration
- N831PC · registry record · serial 31T-8020001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN OVER WATER FLT, BOTH ENGS LOST POWER & THE PLT DITCHED THE ACFT AT SEA. BEFORE DITCHING, THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT WAS OUT OF FUEL, THE ATC CONTROLLER CONTACTED A US COAST GUARD HELICOPTER THAT WAS ON HIS FREQUENCY & REQUESTED ASSISTANCE. THE HELICOPTER WAS FLOWN TO THE DITCHING AREA & THE DOWNED PERSONNEL WERE RESCUED.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,239 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 6,119 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,442 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gee And Jenson, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MYER Eleuthera Isl. at 4:15 pm
- Destination: PBI W. Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from PBI, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.