- Date
- October 5, 1988, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N91323Piper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32340
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 practicing maneuvers near a grass airstrip, the left side of the engine cowling opened. The plt elected to perform a low pass to observe wind direction, then a precautionary landing at the airstrip. After touchdown, the acft became airborne and drifted off the rwy, striking then coming to rest upright at a dike. According to the chief pilot of the flight school, there was a 60-70 degree, 15 knot crosswind at the airstrip when he arrived one hour after the accident. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91323
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-81A0157
- Airframe hours
- 3,308
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2A, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pro-Flite Of Vero, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 27, 1988 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Airport
- Strazzula Brothers, runway 9, 3,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 79 in this make and model · 41 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 8 nm away