Piper PA-28-151 accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, December 21, 1984
On December 21, 1984 at about 1:06 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N203AT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 21, 1984 · about 1:06 am local time
- Place
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N203AT · no longer on the register · serial 28-7715040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A X-COUNTRY PERSONAL FLIGHT, THE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED NEAR PINE BLUFF, AR. HE FLEW FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE CONTACTING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR ASSISTANCE. WHILE BEING VECTURED TO THE PINE BLUFF AIRPORT BY ATC, THE ACFT RAN OUT OF FUEL AND CRASHED. WX AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT WAS MARGINAL VFR WITH 3700 FT OVERCAST, 3 MILES VISIBILITY AND FOG.
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
- Flight time: 172 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,450 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1984; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 79J Andalusia AL
- Destination: M99 Benton AR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,700 ft; ovct
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:06 am from PBF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.