# Accident 20030217001899A: Piper PA23250, Miami, FL, February 17, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 17, 2003, 09:10 local time
- Place: Miami, FL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 25.7183° N, 79.9833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=25.7183&lon=-79.9833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N54835, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N54835-2013-04-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA03LA061](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA03LA061) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030217001899A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON FEBRUARY 17, 2003, ABOUT 0910, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-23-250, N54835, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, ABOUT 8 MILES EAST OF MIAMI, FLORIDA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA AT THE TIME, AND A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 0859. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE U.S. COAST GUARD, AT 1143, THE COAST GUARD WAS NOTIFIED THAT AN AIRPLANE WITH FOUR PERSONS ONBOARD, HAD BEEN REPORTED OVERDUE ON A FLIGHT FROM KENDALL-TAMIAMI EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, MIAMI, FLORIDA, TO SOUTH BIMINI AIRPORT, IN THE BAHAMAS. AT 1146, THE COAST GUARD LAUNCHED SEARCH AND RESCUE ASSETS, AND AT 1226, DISCOVERED A DEBRIS FIELD AND OIL SHEEN 8 MILES EAST OF THE MIAMI HARBOR ENTRANCE, MIAMI, FLORIDA. THE DEBRIS WAS CONFIRMED TO HAVE PERTAINED TO N54835. (-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED TMB AT 1348Z ON 02/17/2003 ON VFR FLIGHT PLAN FOR BIMINI. AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF 4500 FEET THEN BEGAN A SLOW DESCE                   NT AND SOUTHERLY TURN UNTIL IMPACTING THE OCEAN APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES OFF THE COAST OF MIAMI, FLORIDA. THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT RECOVERED AND IS IN APPROXIMATELY 1100 FEET OF WATER. ONLY MINIMAL WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED BY THE COAST GUARD AND WAS VIEWED WITH THE NTSB.

## 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 MIA03LA061](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA03LA061), Feb 17, 2003: Piper PA-23-250 (N54835), Miami, FL, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The non instrument-rated pilot-in-command's improper inflight planning/decision, and continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control during…

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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