Piper PA-28-161 accident near Vicksburg, Mississippi, December 31, 1993
On December 31, 1993 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N5192W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vicksburg, Mississippi (Vicksburg Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN THE PROPER GLIDEPATH. FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1993 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Vicksburg, Mississippi · Vicksburg Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N5192W · no longer on the register · serial 28-227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A STUDENT PILOT SEATED IN THE LEFT FORWARD SEAT BROUGHT TO THE PILOT'S ATTENTION ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THAT THE LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT FOR THE LORAN UNIT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT RECYCLED THE ALTERNATOR SWITCH AND THE ROTATING BEACON AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS OBSERVED. THE FLIGHT ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR LANDING AND WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH WHEN THE PILOT TURNED ON THE LANDING LIGHT, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. THE AIRPLANE THEN COLLIDED WITH TREES BUT WAS ABLE TO LAND. DURING A FERRY FLIGHT AFTER THIS ACCIDENT, THE AMMETER FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHOWED ERRATIC CHARGING AND DISCHARGING. EXAMINATION OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE FIELD WIRE WAS BROKEN AT THE TERMINAL END. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DID HAVE PREVIOUS DISCREPANCIES BUT THE REASON FOR THE MALFUNCTION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE THRESHOLD IS DISPLACED 200 FEET DUE TO TREES AND THE USABLE LENGTH OF RUNWAY IS SHORTENED FROM 5,000 TO 4,500 FEET AT NIGHT. A VASI IS NOT INSTALLED FOR THE RUNWAY USED.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,811 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 16, 1993; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 30F Lakeview TX at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from JAN, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.