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Accidents · NTSB MIA84LA071 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Piper PA-28-140 accident near Naranjito, Puerto Rico, February 3, 1984

On February 3, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N15MM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naranjito, Puerto Rico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
February 3, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
Place
Naranjito, Puerto Rico
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
Registration
N15MM · registry record · serial 28-7325307
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH HILLY TERRAIN DURING A LOW PASS. THE PLT WAS PREPARING TO LAND AT A NEARBY PRIVATE AIRSTRIP.

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: 220 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,730 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 18, 1983
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: SIG San Juan PR at 7:40 pm
  • Destination: Naranjito PR
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
  • Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers1

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.

Other NTSB records under N15MM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2005-05-09LAX05CA161 · accident near Peoria, AZ · substantial damage · no injuries

About this page

Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA84LA071.