- Date
- April 15, 1988, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Monticello, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5231SPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880415059399A
- Case key
- 32165
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 plt stated that while enroute to st. petersburg, and in the vicinity of montecello FL, he began to experience severe engine vibrations and a loss of power. He then selected a field to land in & on his apch, the acft struck some trees, sheared off the wings & came to rest in a wooded area near the field. Examinations, partial disassembly and continuity check of the engine & its related components revealed no evidence of any pre-impact failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5231S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-40768
- Airframe hours
- 3,590
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-R1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lawrence R. Hartz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1987 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
- Destination
- PIE · St Petersburg, 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,094 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TLH, 30 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.