# Accident 20170903017589A: Piper PA-32R-300, Merritt Island, FL, September 3, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 3, 2017, 09:22 local time
- Place: Merritt Island, FL
- Airport: Merritt Island
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.3417° N, 80.6856° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.3417&lon=-80.6856&mi=10
- Aircraft: N544DG, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N544DG-2018-06-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-300 (registry code 7103213, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-300
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 626 total, 65 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17LA311](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA311) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170903017589A

## Narrative

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

PILOT USED ALMOST ENTIRE LENGTH OF RUNWAY BEFORE ROTATION, POST ROTATION THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AND CONTACTED WATER.

## 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 ERA17LA311](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA311), Sep 3, 2017: Piper PA32R (N544DG), Merritt Island, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and improper takeoff technique, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.

## Other reports on N544DG (1)

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

- [Incident 20160403007439I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160403007439I), Apr 3, 2016: Piper PA-32R-300 (N544DG), St Petersburg, FL, Minor damage. On 04/03/2016, at approximately 16:49 LCL, a Piper PA-32R-300, N544DG, registered to "lance N38544 LLC" (merritt island, FL), landed on rwy 18 at Albert…

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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