- Date
- June 26, 1993, 08:55 local (12:55 UTC)
- Place
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N25459Piper PA-38
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930626020719A
- Case key
- 33281
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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the aircraft being ditched.
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 flight instructor and student stated that preflight, engine start, taxiout, and engine runup was normal. Before takeoff they leaned the engine with the mixture control per the flight schools Piper PA-38 checklist. After takeoff while climbing through 300 feet the engine sputtered and lost partial power. The flight instructor took the controls and initiated a turn back to the airport. Shortly after this, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The instructor leveled the wings and the aircraft was ditched in tampa bay. After 10 to 15 seconds the aircraft sank. The instructor and student exited the aircraft and were rescued by passing boats. The aircraft wreckage was located and recovered 2 weeks after the accident. Examination of the aircraft and engine after recovery revealed no evidence to indicate the cause for the reported loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25459
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 81-0001
- Airframe hours
- 2,691
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sea-Cat Marine, doing business as Sunshine Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Sea-Cat Marine
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 23, 1993
- Departed
- SPG
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 632 total · 106 in this make and model · 511 as pilot in command · 228 in the last 90 days · 63 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SPG, 1 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 N25459 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.