- Date
- September 19, 2010, 14:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- South Bimini, Bahamas
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N84859Piper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Cabin safety event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Miami IFO
- Case key
- 77345
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Factual narrative
On September 19, 2010, at 1440 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA31-350, N84859, registered to Spirit Air Inc, and operated by Pioneer Air Services was on initial climb out when the lower half of the main cabin door came open. The pilot reversed his course and returned to the departure airport, landing on runway 27. The right main landing gear tire blew out on the landing roll. The airplane went off the right side of the runway, struck a tree, caught fire and came to a complete stop. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and five passengers were not injured and the airplane received substantial damage. The flight originated from Bimini Airport, South Bimini Island, Bahamas, at 1435, and was operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Bahamian Government. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Manager of Flight Standards, Bahamas P.O. Box AP 59244 Nassau, N.P. Bahamas Phone: (242) 377-3445/3448 Facsimile: (242) 377-6060 This report is for information purposes only, and contains only information released by or obtained for the Bahamian Government.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84859
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7305043
- Engines
- reciprocatingreciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Pioneer Air Services
- Registered owner
- Spirit Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MYBS · South Bimini
- Destination
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MYBS · South Bimini Airport, runway 27, 5,409 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 80° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11 KB in all.
Other investigations on N84859 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.