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20020402020189A

Accident · No damage
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Melbourne, FL · April 2, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 2, 2002 · 09:00 local
Place
Melbourne, FL
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N91FK
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA02FA079
Reported as
Piper PA23250
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
N91FKRegistration cancelled Jun 7, 2013 · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-4311 · Built 1969Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

(-23) I arrived at the scene at 1730 on 4/4/2002 and gary harrell of the brevard county sheriff's office took me to the aircraft in an airboat. The airplane was in approximately 3 feet of water and the majority of the wreckage was buried in the mud and not visible from the surface. Approximately 4 feet of the empennage was visible and was destroyed. The empennage was compressed down and none of the cabin area was visible above the mud. The wreckage was located approximately 200 yards from a dike south southwest of Melbourne, Florida. Gary had talked to the pilot's wife and was told that the airplane departed pompano beach airpark on Tuesday morning (4-2-02). Recovery began on Friday (4-5-02) and the remains of the pilot were removed at approximately 1200. The recovery continued and as of Tuesday (4-9-02) the entire airplane had not been recovered. The work continues and all of the recovered parts are being collected at the ft. pierce airport. NTSB and FAA will review the wreckage when it is all recovered. At this point the technical and operational factors have not been determined.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AT 1730 ON 4/4/2002 AND GARY HARRELL OF THE BREVARD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE TOOK ME TO THE AIRCRAFT IN AN AIRBOAT. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET OF WATER AND THE MAJORITY OF THE WRECKAGE WAS BURIED IN THE MUD AND NOT VISIBLE FROM THE SURFACE. APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET OF THE EMPENNAGE WAS VISIBLE AND WAS DESTROYED. THE EMPENNAGE WAS COMPRESSED DOWN AND NONE OF THE CABIN AREA WAS VISIBLE ABOVE THE MUD. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS FROM A DIKE SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MELBOURNE, FLORIDA. GARY HAD TALKED TO THE PILOT'S WIFE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED POMPANO BEACH AIRPARK ON TUESDAY MORNING (4-2-02). RECOVERY BEGAN ON FRIDAY (4-5-02) AND THE REMAINS OF THE PILOT WERE REMOVED AT APPROXIMATELY 1200. THE RECOVERY CONTINUED AND AS OF TUESDAY (4-9-02) THE ENTIRE AIRPLANE HAD NOT BEEN RECOVERED. THE WORK CONTINUES AND ALL OF THE RECOVERED PARTS ARE BEING COLLECTED AT THE FT. PIERCE AIRPORT. NTSB AND FAA WILL REVIEW THE WRECKAGE WHEN IT IS ALL RECOVERED. AT THIS POINT THE TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL FACTORS HAVE NOT BEEN DETERMINED.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB MIA02FA079Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportPalm Bay, FLThe in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons resulting in the in-flight collision with terrain.Apr 2, 2002 · Destroyed