# Accident 20140525008999A: Piper PA-28-140, Fountain, FL, May 25, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 25, 2014, 09:15 local time
- Place: Fountain, FL
- Airport: Maran
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.5222° N, 85.3886° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5222&lon=-85.3886&mi=10
- Aircraft: N43113, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N43113-2018-01-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-320 series (registry code 42389, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 145 total, 5 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14FA255](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA255) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140525008999A

## Narrative

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

AT APPROXIMATELY 0915 ON MAY 25, 2014 , A PIPER PA-28-140, WITH AN UPGRADED 180HP ENGINE, CRASHED INTO THE TREES 1100 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 27 AT MARAN AIRPORT IN FOUNTAIN, FLORIDA.  THE PILOT'S INJURIES WERE EXTREMELY CRITICAL AND HIS THREE PASSENGERS WERE KILLED. APPROXIMATELY 2000 FEET OF THE 5100 FEET GRASS AND SAND RUNWAY AT MARAN WAS UNUSABLE BECAUSE OF FLOOD DAMAGE FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS. THE WESTERN END OF THE RUNWAY IS BORDERED BY 70-FOOT HIGH PINE TREES. VIDEO EVIDENCE PROVIDED BY WITNESSES INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM THE SOFT DRY RUNWAY WITH THE FLAPS FULLY RETRACTED AND IMMEDIATELY PITCHED UP TO A NOSE-HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK.  THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED THE TREE LINE BY APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET BUT IMMEDIATELY STARTED DESCENDING BACK INTO THE TREES. AS THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED, THE AIRCRAFTS NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE STEADILY INCREASED UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT WENT OUT OF SIGHT. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE AIRCRAFT CAN BE HEARD CRASHING THROUGH THE TREES TO THE GROUND.  EXAMINATION OF THE CRASH SCENE INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED THROUGH THE TREES AND HIT THE GROUND, NOSE FIRST, FLIPPED INVERTED, AND EXPLODED. WITNESS MARKS ON TREES AND DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER INDICATE THE ENGINE WAS MAKING POWER AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH.

## 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 ERA14FA255](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA255), May 25, 2014: Piper PA-28-140 (N43113), Fountain, FL, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to depart from a soft runway with a tailwind and toward obstructions, and his failure to follow the manufacturer's recommended procedures for the takeoff. Contributing to the…

## Other reports on N43113 (1)

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

- [Accident 19931204047539A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19931204047539A), Dec 4, 1993: Piper PA28140 (N43113), Hastings, FL, Substantial damage. Wind shear on final. Struck canal bank short of runway. Made a go around. Right main gear collapsed landing.

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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