- Date
- June 26, 1990, 05:15 local (10:15 UTC)
- Place
- Panama City, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N18PAPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900626022209A
- Case key
- 32562
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
A loss of power on both engines during takeoff as a result of inadequate maintenance. In addition, the pilot failed to abort the takeoff.
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
Witnesses described the takeoff as a long ground roll, slow climb, and engines not sounding normal. The airplane then settled into trees. Teardown of the left engine revealed water present in the fuel injector lines of #1, #3 and #5 cyls. #3 nozzle plugged. Intake valves dark & sooty. Pistons 1, 3 and 5 had considerable amounts of dark carbon deposits. Teardown of right engine revealed extensive carbon buildups throughout. An engine test run was performed by the director of maintenance day before accident. Personnel formerly employed by the operator provided written statements of allegations pertaining to the general condition of company airplanes, falsification of maintenance records, and improper maintanance procedures being performed on company airplanes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7712068
- Airframe hours
- 5,993
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540F2BD, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Panama Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Panama Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 17, 1990
- Destination
- TPA · Tampa, 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
- 64
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,524 total · 600 in this make and model · 7,208 as pilot in command · 346 in the last 90 days · 118 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 10° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PFN, 314 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.