- Date
- June 5, 1991, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- South Port, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2549APiper PA38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910605020129A
- Case key
- 32753
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
The pilot in commands failure to maintain a safe altitude resulting in an inflight collision with electrical lines.
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
Flight collided with top wires of electrical transmission lines which crossed a lake. Post crash examination of the aircraft, flight controls, and engine revealed no evidence to indicate precrash failure or malfunction. At the time of the accident the student pilot was on a solo instructional flight operating in a designated practice area 15 miles north of the departure airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2549A
- Reported as
- Piper PA38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-78A0750
- Airframe hours
- 3,557
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bay Aviation
- Registered owner
- Bay Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 13, 1991 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- PFN · Panama City, 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 17 total · 16 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PFN, 14 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.
Other investigations on N2549A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.