Piper PA-32-300 accident near Aberdeen, Mississippi, March 16, 1992
On March 16, 1992 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N16388, was destroyed in an accident near Aberdeen, Mississippi. It was a business flight 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 PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S DECISION TO INITIATE A TURN BACK TO THE AIRPORT AT A LOW ALTITUDE FOLLOWING LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1992 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Aberdeen, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N16388 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7340084
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APPROXIMATELY 100-FOOT ALTITUDE, AFTER TAKEOFF, WITNESSES HEARD ENGINE SPUTTER AND LOSE POWER. AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO BANK STEEPLY TO THE LEFT AND DESCEND INTO TREES. A POSTCRASH FIRE ERUPTED. THE NO. 3 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. THE FATIGUE ORIGINATED IN GALLING MARKS IN THE BEARING AREA ON THE CRANKSHAFT END. ACCORDING TO LYCOMING ENGINES, GALLING IS CAUSED BY ENGINE OVERSPEED OR OVERBOOST. NO RECORDS OF THESE EVENTS HAVING OCCURRED WERE FOUND. AFTER NO. 3 ROD SEPARATED, IT JAMMED INTO THE ENGINE CASE AND DID NOT HINDER ROTATION OF THE ENGINE. THE PROPELLER WAS FOUND TO HAVE ROTATIONAL DAMAGE, AND BLADE ANGLE AT IMPACT WAS IN THE 2100 RPM RANGE. SEVERAL LARGE TREE LIMBS WERE FOUND CUT BY THE PROPELLER AT THE CRASH SITE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,148 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 2,012 as pilot in command; 478 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1991; 124 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: S And S Construction CO., INC.
The flight
- Destination: 20M Macon MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from CBM, 15 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.