- Date
- February 20, 1987, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N25459Piper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870220003049A
- Case key
- 31856
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
While in cruise flt at an alt of aprx 800 feet the plt reported that the eng began to lose RPM. Unable to maintain alt a forced landing was made on a road. The acft then ground looped due to contact with scrub oak trees, which resulted in severing of the left main landing gear. Post crash examination & run up of the eng revealed no evidence of failure/malfunction. A review of the icing probability chart revealed that conditions were favorable for serious icing with a float type carburetor while at cruise power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25459
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-81A0001
- Airframe hours
- 1,454
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard G. Rowe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 1986 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- OMN · Ormond Beach, FL
- Destination
- PBI · W.Palm Beach, FL
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 13,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 22 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 N25459 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.