Piper PA-28-161 accident near Culebra, Puerto Rico, September 15, 1984
On September 15, 1984 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N2225Y, was destroyed in an accident near Culebra, Puerto Rico (Culebra airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- September 15, 1984 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Culebra, Puerto Rico · Culebra
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N2225Y · no longer on the register · serial 287916365
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ADVISED BY OTHER PLTS THAT A MISSED APPROACH WAS NOT POSSIBLE AT THIS ARPT ON RWY 31. ALL OTHER PLTS IN THE GROUP LANDED ON RWY 13. THE ACCIDENT PLT ELECTED 31 UNTIL HE WAS ON FINAL WITH A TAILWIND AND THEN STARTED A GO-AROUND. THE RISING TERRAIN TRAPPED THE ACFT WHICH STALLED INTO A HILLSIDE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1983; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VQS Vieques PR at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,645 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; not recorded at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from SJU, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.