Piper PA-32-300 XAHIJ

Summary

On 26 December 1982 at about 17:35 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered XAHIJ, operated by Ignacia Valenzuela, was involved in an accident near Animas, New Mexico, United States. 7 people were on board and 7 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

26 December 1982 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Animas, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

31.9398, -108.8308

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

XAHIJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ignacia Valenzuela

Operating rule

Unknown

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Agua Prieta → Janos

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW83FA087

7 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT DEPARTED AGUE PRIETA, SONORA, MEXICO WITH NO FLT PLAN ON A FLT TO JANOS, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO. DRG DEPARTURE, THE PLT'S SON OBSERVED A DARK THREATENING CLOUD BANK IN THE DIRECTION OF FLT NEAR A MTN RANGE. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE DESTINATION, A SEARCH WAS BEGUN WHICH WAS EXTENDED ON THE US SIDE OF THE BORDER. ON 1/15/82, A RANCHER FOUND THE WRECKAGE WHICH WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA EXCEEDING 1 MI IN LENGTH. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TAIL ASSEMBLY, RIGHT WING, ABOUT 1/2 OF THE LEFT WING AND WINDSCREEN HAD SEPARATED IN FLT. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT WOULD INDICATE A PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRCRAFT, ENGINE, PROPELLER OR ACCESSORIES, EXCEPT FOR SEPARATED COMPONENTS WHICH SHOWED EVIDENCE OF IN-FLT PLT INDUCED OVERLOADS. LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORTED A SEVERE SNOW STORM WITH HEAVY WET SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT WAS NOT RATED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT. DRG TKOF, THE ACFT WAS APRX 547 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT, CG APRX 2 IN BEHIND AFT LIMIT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.