- Date
- July 16, 1989, 07:12 local (11:12 UTC)
- Place
- Luquillo, PR
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N999MAPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890716063459A
- Case key
- 32463
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
Failure of the left exhaust stack which resulted in an engine fire, loss of engine power, and subsequent ditching of the acft in ocean waters.
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 rprtd that drg flt over the ocean, he smelled an odor of something burning. Shortly afterward, the eng lost power. The plt was able to glide the acft to about 1/2 mi from shore, then he ditched it in the ocean. Later, the acft was recovered. An exam revealed the left exhaust stack had failed & the escaping exhaust gases had resulted in an eng compartment fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N999MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-40854
- Airframe hours
- 3,589
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Smith, Vincent
- Registered owner
- Vincent Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 5, 1988 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- 2JU · San Juan, PR
- Destination
- STT · St. Thomas
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,700 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU, 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.