Piper PA-32R-301T accident near North Captiva Island, FL
On July 16, 2014, a Piper PA-32R-301T (airplane) was involved in an accident near North Captiva Island, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 16, 2014
- Place
- North Captiva Island, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 26.604°N, 82.227°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140716X94855
Official records · ERA14FA343
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 16, 2014, about 1745 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N297AS, was substantially damaged when it impacted the water near North Captiva Island, Florida. The airplane departed from Page Airport (FMY), Ft. Myers, Florida about 1735 with an intended destination of Salty Approach Airport (FL90), Ft. Myers, Florida. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight was filed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Numerous witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to be departing from FL90. Some of those accounts stated that the airplane "was having a hard time trying to climb" or "that it appeared that the pilot was trying to build up speed to gain elevation" prior to the left wing making contact with the water. One eyewitness, who was familiar with the pilot, reported that the pilot had flown in earlier in the afternoon with a load of tile and the accident flight was the second trip for the day. Another eyewitness reported that the airplane appeared to be "taking off attempting to recover [from] an aborted landing and did not have the airspeed to recover." Several of the witnesses reported that they audibly observed the engine operating at the time of the accident. Some of the witnesses reported the airplane was about 7 feet above the ground when it passed over the beach. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to secure the cargo in the cargo compartment, which resulted in a weight shift that led to the center of gravity exceeding its aft limit during a go-around attempt and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Also causal to the accident were the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and his loading the airplane beyond the cargo compartment weight limit.
More accidents in FL
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Browse: Florida · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
