Piper PA-23 accident near Gulf Of Mexico, October 21, 1983
On October 21, 1983 at about 9:17 pm local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N6403Y, was destroyed in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- October 21, 1983 · about 9:17 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N6403Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-3688
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO BEFORE FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT SAID HE DEPARTED AN ARPT NEAR GREAT INAGUA,BAHAMAS IN VMC WEAHTER. HE REPORTED THAT HE EXPERIENCED A MALFUNCTION OF THE COMPASS AND FEARING FUEL EXHAUSTION HAD MADE TWO PASSES AROUND A FREIGHTER BEFORE DITCHING ACROSS HER BOW. THE ACFT SANK BUT THE TWO OCCUPANTS WERE RESCUED. A LATER REPORT FROM U.S. CUSTOMS IN MIAMI REVEALED THAT THEY SPOTTED THIS ACFT FLYING 100 FT ABOVE THE WATER NEAR CUBA. THEY FOLLOWED IT TO GREAT INAGUA ISL THEN ON TO A POINT SOUTH OF ANDROS IS IN THE BAHAMAS. THE FLT THEN PROGRESSED TO MARATHON AND KEY WEST BEFORE FLYING OUT OVER THE GULF TO DITCH. THE INITIAL DEPARTURE POINT, DESTINATION AND FLT PURPOSEWERE NOT DETERMINED. THE REGISTERED OWNER OF THE ACFT SAID HE HAD RECENTLY SOLD THE ACFT. THE IDENTITY OF THE NEW OWNER WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: 1,445 hours in all; 252 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 1,275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.