# Accident 19890509011209A: Piper PA44180, Fort Pierce, FL, May 9, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 9, 1989, 11:53 local time
- Place: Fort Pierce, FL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unknown/Not Reported
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.5795° N, 80.2203° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.5795&lon=-80.2203&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2231M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2231M-1989-06-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA44180
- Reported engine: LYC O360E1A6
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 4,800 total, 600 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA89FA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA89FA146) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890509011209A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

OBSERVED IN FLAT SPIN TO WATER IMPACT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA89FA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA89FA146), May 9, 1989: Piper PA-44-180 (N2231M), Fort Pierce, FL, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), AND FAILURE OF THE CREW TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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