- Date
- May 9, 1989, 11:53 local (15:53 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2231MPiper PA-44-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890509011209A
- Case key
- 32289
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inadequate supervision by the instructor pilot (CFI), and failure of the crew to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent loss of engine power from possible interruption of fuel.
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 flt was for crew coordination training & was administered by flt safety intl for aer lingus, a foreign airline. An instructor (CFI) & 2 foreign plts were aboard (students had previously gotten U.S. Certs with single/multi-eng ratings).before the acdnt, the acft was hdg NE. Radar data showed that it turned east while maintaining a constant alt of 3500'. After turning east, its gnd spd slowed to 53 KTS. The acft then began a rgt turn at a rate of 125 deg/min. After turningsouth, the acft's gnd spd slowed to 37 KTS. The acft then entered a dscnt, which increased to 8000'/MIN. Witnesses saw the acft spinning left, in a nose dwn attitude, before it impacted in the ocean. No preimpact part failure/malfunction was fnd. There was evidence that drg impact, neither eng was operg, flaps were extndd 10 deg, main gear was extndd & thenose gear was in transit. The acft manufacturer rprtd that a spin may cause an interruption of fuel to the engs by exceeding the carb limitations. Intentional spins were prohibited. VMC & stall spds were 56 & 54 KTS, respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2231M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-7995217
- Airframe hours
- 2,785
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-E1A6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Safety International
- Registered owner
- Flight Safety International
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · April 28, 1989 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- VRB · Vero 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,800 total · 600 in this make and model · 4,650 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 10 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.