# Accident 20030821031309A: Piper PA31310, Clearwater, FL, August 21, 2003 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 21, 2003, 16:50 local time - Place: Clearwater, FL - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Final Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 27.9864° N, 82.7611° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9864&lon=-82.7611&mi=10 - Aircraft: N93DC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N93DC-2006-06-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-31-310 (registry code 7103102, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-310) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA31310 - Reported engine: LYC TIO540A2C - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA03FA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA03FA167) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030821031309A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON AUGUST 21, 2003, ABOUT 1648 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-31, N93DC, REGISTERED TO CLEARWATER AIRCRAFT, INC., EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO A RESIDENTIAL AREA NEAR CLEARWATER AIR PARK, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION (VMC) PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE REPORTED 14 CFR 91 BUSINESS FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED NEARLY VERTICAL IMPACTING THE GROUND WITH THE IMPACT FORCES AND A POST-CRASH FIRE DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT AND THE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER SEATED IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT WAS FATALLY INJURED. A PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BURNING AIRCRAFT AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 1547 FROM THE ST. AUGUSTINE AIRPORT, ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. A PILOT RATED WITNESS WHO WAS LOCATED IN A VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE WEST-NORTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED OBSERVING AN AIRPLANE FLYING FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE AIRPLANE BANKED TO THE LEFT FLYING EASTBOUND AT A "..VERY SLOW AIRSPEED, BANKING AND YAWING LEFT THEN TO THE RIGHT." WHILE FLYING EASTBOUND IT APPEARED TO HIM THAT WHOMEVER WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE WASEXECUTING A GO-AROUND AS EVIDENCE BY THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTING, FOLLOWED BY THE FLAPS. THE AIRPLANE THEN APPEARED TO CLIMB, WHICH APPEARED VERY UNSTABLE, AGAIN YAWING LEFT AND RIGHT. THE AIRPLANE THEN BANKED TO THE RIGHT, STALLED, AND ENTERED A SPIN IMPACTING THE GROUND. HE FURTHER REPORTED SEEING BOTH PROPELLERS ROTATING DURING ALL PHASES OF FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN THE FRONT YARD OF A HOUSE; NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO THE RESIDENCE AND THERE WERE NO GROUND INJURIES. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED AS 27 DEGREES 59.819 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE AND 082 DEGREES 45.664 MINUTES WEST LONGITUDE. THAT LOCATION WHEN PLOTTED WAS LOCATED 003 DEGREES AND .34 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 16. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2003 THE OWNER OF AIRCRAFT N93DC A PIPER PA-31-31 PROVIDED ALL MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO FAA UPON REQUEST. ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2003 A REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS YIELDED THE AIRCRAFT HAD ITS LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION ON AUGUST 5, 2002, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED BY A CERTIFICATED AIRFRAME & POWERPLANT AIRMAN WHO HAS INSPECTION AUTHORIZATION (IA). THE ANNUAL ENTRIES IN THE ENGINE, PROPELLER AND AIRFRAME MAINTENANCE LOGS DO NOT CONTAIN ANY MENTION OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES COMPLETION OR REFERENCE TO ANY AD LOG LISTINGS. ## 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 MIA03FA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA03FA167), Aug 21, 2003: Piper PA-31 (N93DC), Clearwater, FL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The failure of the flightcrew to maintain airspeed (Vs) resulting in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and in-flight collision with the ground. ## Other reports on N93DC (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19990220016359I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990220016359I), Feb 20, 1999: Piper PA31 (N93DC), Flint, MI, Minor damage. (-5)ATC report stated: delivery services, inc., air taxi pilot declared an emergency due to an engine fire and requested to land at Flint. No injuries were… - [Incident 19890215001949I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890215001949I), Feb 15, 1989: Piper PA31310 (N93DC), Knoxville, TN, Minor damage. Unable to get gear safe indication. Nose gear collapsed on rollout. Ruptured hydraulic hose caused fluid loss. 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.