Piper PA-32-260 accident near Schuyler, Nebraska, December 20, 1983
On December 20, 1983 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N43302, was substantially damaged in an accident near Schuyler, Nebraska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
- December 20, 1983 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Schuyler, Nebraska · 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-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N43302 · no longer on the register · serial 23-72500036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DESCENDING TOWARD THE PLANNED DESTINATION, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH & THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO IMPROVE THE ENG'S PERFORMANCE BY USING CARBURETOR HEAT. HE MADE A LOCALIZER-ONLY APCH, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE RWY AT THE MIN DESCENT ALT. A MISSED APCH WAS MADE & HE STARTED TO DIVERT BACK OMAHA, NE. HOWEVER, WHILE EN ROUTE, HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. AT APRX 500 FT AGL, THE PLT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH VISUAL REFERENCES. HE SELECTED A SHOW COVERED FIELD & MADE A SOFT FIELD APCH & LANDING. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT DROPPED OFF OF A TERRACE ONTO ANOTHER. THE TERRACE WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE AIR DUE TO THE SNOW COVER. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FUEL NOZZLE WAS COVERED WITH ICE. THE CARBURETOR HEAT SYS WAS FOUND TO BE OPERATIONAL.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,377 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 338 in the last 90 days; 1,169 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,455 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 13, 1983; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMA Omaha NE at 5:45 pm
- Destination: Columbus OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from OLU, 13 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.
Other NTSB records under N43302 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.