Piper PA-23-250 accident near Tupelo, Mississippi, October 21, 1988
On October 21, 1988 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6877Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tupelo, Mississippi. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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, 1988 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Tupelo, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6877Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-4224
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OPERATOR HAD APPLIED FOR AN ON-DEMAND/AIR TAXI CERT, BUT HAD NOT OBTAINED APPROVAL. AFTER LVL-OFF ON A FLT TO CARRY CANCELED CHECKS, THE PLT ELECTED TO USE THE REMAINING FUEL FM THE INBD TANKS. HE STATED THAT SOON THEREAFTER, THE LEFT ENG BGN RUNNING ROUGH, SO HE SELECTED THE OTBD MAIN 'ON THE LEFT SIDE WITH THE BOOST PUMP ON AND NOTHING HAPPENED.' HESAID HE THEN PSND THE L FUEL SELECTOR TO THE INBD TANK & NORMAL ENG OPN RETURNED, MOMENTARILY. AN IDENTICAL SCENARIO OCCURRED ON THE RGT SIDE. AFTER A DUAL PWR LOSS, THE PLT TRIED TO RTRN BACK TO THE DEP ARPT, BUT WAS UNABLE. HE LNDD IN A FIELD, BUT THE ACFT HIT TREES BEFORE STOPPING. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE INBD TANKS WERE EMPTY, BUT THE OTBD TANKS WERE FULL OF FUEL. THE PSN OF THE FUEL SELECTORS (WHEN THE ENGS LOST POWER) WAS NOT DETERMINED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE FUEL SELECTOR PANEL WAS ON THE FLOOR BTN THE PLT & COPLT SEATS. DUE TO RE-UPHOLSTER-ING OF THE SEATS, THE PLT COULD NOT SEE THE PANEL UNLESS HE PULLED THE SEAT CUSHIONS APART.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,293 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1988; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUP Tupelo MS at 1:20 am
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:22 am from TUP, 5 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.