19800215002829A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-260 · Cedar Key, FL · February 15, 1980

Date
February 15, 1980 · 20:30 local
Place
Cedar Key, FL
Airport
George T. Lewis
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N5558J
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA80FA033
Reported as
Piper PA32260
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
3
Pilot’s flight hours
135 total35 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Departed at night over water. No ground lights. Lost control of airplane, crashed in water west of airport.

As the FAA filed it

DEPARTED AT NIGHT OVER WATER. NO GROUND LIGHTS. LOST CONTROL OF AIRPLANE, CRASHED IN WATER WEST OF AIRPORT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.