# Accident 20040119011119A: Piper PA28181, Fort Pierce, FL, January 19, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 19, 2004, 01:06 local time
- Place: Fort Pierce, FL
- Airport: St Lucie County International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.4858° N, 80.3844° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.4858&lon=-80.3844&mi=10
- Aircraft: N298PA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N298PA-2004-08-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360 series (registry code 41575, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA04FA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04FA045) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040119011119A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AT 0106 (LOCAL) ON JANUARY 19, 2004, WHILE ON AN ILS APPROACH TO ST. LUCIE COUNTY AIRPORT, N298PA, A PA-28-181 STRUCK TREES WITH ITS LEFT WING AND CRASHED APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE SHORT OF RWY 9. THE 90-FOOT TREES, LOCATED 1000 FEET WESTNORTHWEST OF THE MIDDLE MARKER, SEPARATED THE LEFT WING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. A FIVE-FOOT SECTION OF THE LEFT FLAP WAS LODGED APPROXIMATELY SEVENTY FEET UP THE IMPACTED TREE. THE LEFT ELEVATOR TIP WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TREE. THE LEFT WING CAME TO REST ON A NORTH-SOUTH DIRT ROAD 300 FEET EASTSOUTHEAST OF THE TREES. THE FUSELAGE STRUCK A THREE-INCH HIGH VOLTAGE WIRE RUNNING ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE ROAD, CAUSING A POWER OUTAGE IN THE AREA. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST SIX HUNDRED FEET FROM THE TREES AND 400 FEET WNW OF THE MIDDLE MARKER. THE CRASH SITE SHOWED SIGNS OF THE FUSELAGE HITTING THE GROUND ONCE BEFORE COMING TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE. THE RIGHT WING WAS ATTACHED BUT WITH THE OUTBOARD HALF BENT TOWARD THE TOP OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK STILL CONTAINED FUEL. THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE WERE DAMAGED BUT INTACT. THE BOTH PROPELLER BLADES SHOWED SIGNS OF IMPACTING THE HIGH VOLTAGE WIRE. BOTH TIPS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE BLADES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY E.W. HOLDINGS INC. (D/B/A PAN AM INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY) IN FT PIERCE, FLORIDA UNDER CFR PART 141 (CERTIFICATE #I57S570K). THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS LUIS ANGEL SERRANO OF FT PIERCE, FLORIDA (CER. #I2741817). CARLOS HECTOR RAMIREZ OF FT PIERCE, FLORIDA (CERT. #PENDING, TEMPORARY PRIVATE PILOT CERT ISSUED 12-12-03) WAS THE STUDENT IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT. THE PASSENGER IN THE BACK SEAT WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS THE ONLY SURVIVOR. ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA^ THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED BY MIAMI CENTER FOR AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 9 AT ST. LUCIE COUNTY AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED FOG AND VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO ZERO. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CONTROLS AND CONTINUED THE APPROACH. ^PRIVACY DAT^ SAID THE TWO PILOTS WERE NOT TALKING, SHE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT. SHE STATED THE ONLY INSTRUMENT SHE REMEMBERED LOOKING AT WAS THE VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR AND IT WAS READING A DESCENT OF 500 FEET PER MINUTE. THE NEXT THING SHE REMEMBERS WAS GRABBING THE BACK OF THE PILOTS SEAT TO STOP FROM FALLING FORWARD AND THEN TRYING TO CLIMB OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND.

## 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 MIA04FA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04FA045), Jan 19, 2004: Piper PA-28-181 (N298PA), Fort Pierce, FL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The flight instructor's failure to comply with the instrument approach procedure in that he descended prematurely below decision height resulting in an in-flight collision with trees, power lines and…

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.