- Date
- January 2, 1983, 19:30 local (Jan 3, 1983, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Near Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N35590Piper PA-32-301R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830102000069A
- Case key
- 30837
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
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with tree tops during a night flight but the pilot was able to maintain control and land at a nearby airport. According to the pilot he was on approach to fort pierce airport when the accident occurred. However according to some witnesses who were fishing, a darkened acft came over their position in a remote area about 13 miles west of Vero Beach and clipped the tops of cypress trees. Cypress tree debris was found in the wing of the damaged acft. The pilot was unable to state the runway he was using at ft. pierce when questioned later.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35590
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-301R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8013020
- Airframe hours
- 857
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pro Flight Of Vero Beach
- Registered owner
- H & R Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 14, 1982 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- Statsboro, GA
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
- Age
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 296 total · 81 in this make and model · 251 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N35590 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.