Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Wichita, Kansas, February 12, 1983
On February 12, 1983 at about 1:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N8981C, was destroyed in an accident near Wichita, Kansas (Colonel James Jabara airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- February 12, 1983 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Wichita, Kansas · Colonel James Jabara
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N8981C · no longer on the register · serial 28R7635187
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS CLEARED TO MAKE THE APPROACH AND TO DESCEND NOT BELOW 2300 FT. THE PILOT DESCENDED FROM 3000 AFTER HE REPORTED PASSING HANCE, THE FINAL APPOACH FIX. HE DESCENDED TO 2300 FT AT 500 FT A MINUTE AND LEVELED THE ACFT AND LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT SAID THAT AT THE POINT 2 NM FROM THE ARPT WHERE THE DESCENT TO 1820 FT IS TO BE BEGUN HE LOWERED ONE NOTCH OF FLAPS AND HIT THE GROUND. THE CRASH SITE IS ONE AND ONE QUARTER MILES FROM THE ARPT ON THE FINAL APPROACH COURSE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,683 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 1,583 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,276 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 1982; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADH Ada OK at 11:33 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 2,800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:01 am from IAB, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.