Piper PA-31-350 accident near Lakeland, Florida, December 4, 1983
On December 4, 1983 at about 7:46 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N4115K, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- December 4, 1983 · about 7:46 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · Lakeland Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N4115K · no longer on the register · serial 31-8452006
- 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 WAS ON ITS FIRST PRODUCTION FLT TEST. SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF IT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER AN ABRUPT RIGHT BANK, FOLLOWED BY A STEEP LEFT BANK BEFORE CRASHING. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT WING REVEALED THAT ITS AILERON CABLES WERE CONNECTED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE BELLCRANK ATTACH POINTS BACKWARDS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,550 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 3,275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 4, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from LAL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.