- Date
- February 23, 1984, 15:51 local (20:51 UTC)
- Place
- Sarasota, FL
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N710SCPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840223004699A
- Case key
- 30974
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
Shortly after takeoff the acft entered a descending left turn, struck a wire, a car, and a tree before contacting a building and exploding. A passenger reported that the stall warning horn had activated at least twice during the initial takeoff climb prior to the acft entering the left descending turn. Within seconds after contacting the building the acft exploded. Investigation revealed there was aprx 3600 ft of usable rwy available at the point of the intersection takeoff which was requested by the plt. Weight and balance calculations indicate the acft was aprx 172 lbs over max gross weight at takeoff. No mechanical failure/malfunction was found during the investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N710SC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-1358
- Airframe hours
- 19,821
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Arthur D Kerwien
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 21, 1983 · 286 hours before
- Destination
- SGJ · St.Augustine, FL
- Airport
- Sarasota-Bradton, runway 32, 7,003 × 150 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
- Age
- 49
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,645 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 21 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.