# Accident 19970116000499A: Piper PA28235, Okeechobee, FL, January 16, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 16, 1997, 07:55 local time
- Place: Okeechobee, FL
- Airport: Okeechobee County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Scud Running
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.5008° N, 80.9299° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.5008&lon=-80.9299&mi=10
- Aircraft: N712DB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N712DB-1997-03-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-235 (registry code 7102810, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-235) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28235
- Reported engine: LYC O540B4B5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 340 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA97FA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97FA063) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970116000499A

## Narrative

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

STRUCK TREES WHILE SCUD RUNNING IN LOW CEILING AND FOG. HAD PURSUED IFR RATING BUT ADVISED NON TRAINABLE.

## 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 MIA97FA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97FA063), Jan 16, 1997: Piper PA-28-235 (N712DB), Okeechobee, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the noninstrument-rated pilot's decision to conduct a VFR flight into instrument meteorological flight conditions. The weather was a factor.

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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