# Accident 20001031041119A: Piper PA28181, Zolfo Springs, FL, October 31, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 31, 2000, 14:12 local time
- Place: Zolfo Springs, FL
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.4597° N, 81.8128° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.4597&lon=-81.8128&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8603E, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8603E-2013-06-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA01FA021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA01FA021) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20001031041119A

## Narrative

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

(-23)ON OCTOBER 31, 2000, ABOUT 1412 EST, A PIPER PA-28-181, REGISTERED TO AND FLOWN BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT, CRASHED IN ZOLFO SPRINGS, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRPLANE INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE COMMERICAL-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE ARICRAFT, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM BARTOW, FLORIDA, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1349 EST.  ACCORDING TO A CONTROLLER AT BARTOW MUNICIPAL AIRPORT'S AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER, THE PILOT HAD BEEN IN RADIO COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT WITH THE TOWER AND AT 1409, THE PILOT COMMUNICATED TO THE TOWER THAT HIS ENGINE HAD FAILED.  AT 1536, THE HARDEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE DISCOVERED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT IN AN OPEN FIELD.

## 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 MIA01FA021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA01FA021), Oct 31, 2000: Piper PA-28-181 (N8603E), Zolfo Springs, FL, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the pilot executing a forced landing to an open field, and the aircraft subsequently impacting a tree during the landing rollout.

## Other reports on N8603E (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19761112035469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19761112035469A), Nov 12, 1976: Piper PA28181 (N8603E), Columbus, OH, Substantial damage. Xc flt rtrnd due snow showers. Stalled the acft fm aprx 10 ft abv rwy. Wind gusting 17K.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
