Piper PA-34-200T accident near Oxford, Mississippi, February 19, 1987
On February 19, 1987 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N3571X, was destroyed in an accident near Oxford, Mississippi (University Oxford airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- February 19, 1987 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Mississippi · University Oxford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N3571X · no longer on the register · serial 348070885
- 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 STRUCK AN EMBANKMENT ABOUT 5 FEET BELOW THE CREST & JUST SHORT OF THE RWY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT DUSK & IN REDUCED LIGHTING CONDITIONS. THE ACFT EXPLODED & BOUNCED OUT OF THE IMPACT CRATER & CAME TO REST ABOUT ON THE EXTENDED RWY CENTERLINE. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: 8,810 hours in all; 350 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1986; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO360EBIA (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UOX Oxford MS
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 4,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 54 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:48 pm from TUP, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.