Piper PA-32 accident near Opa Locka, FL
On December 1, 2015, a Piper PA-32 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Opa Locka, FL. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 1, 2015
- Place
- Opa Locka, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 25.897°N, 80.089°W
- NTSB ID
- 20151201X30530
Official records · ERA16LA053
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On December 1, 2015, at 1037 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N5568J, was substantially damaged during a forced landing shortly after taking off from Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF), Miami, Florida. The private pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight to South Bimini Airport (MYBS), South Bimini, The Bahamas. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to the pilot, as the airplane was climbing through about 800 feet, the front seat passenger asked him if he smelled something. The pilot stated that he did and they both then saw "light smoke up around the dash and windshield area." The pilot commenced a turn back toward the airport, and almost immediately, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot advised the airport tower controller of the problem, but realizing that the airplane could not make it back to the airport, performed a forced landing off-airport. According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane first touched down on top of a parked tractor trailer, bounced over a canal, and came to rest upside down on a berm. The airplane was recovered to a storage facility where it was subsequently examined with NTSB oversight. There, soot and char marks, along with thermal damage, were noted on the left side of the cowling, both on the engine compartment side and the external side. The left (pilot) side wall of the muffler exhib
Probable cause
Maintenance personnel's inadequate inspection of the exhaust system, which resulted in the escape of exhaust gases into the engine compartment and a subsequent total loss of engine power.
More accidents in FL
- Grumman G-73T, Dec 19, 2005
- Beech B90, Jan 5, 1994
- Beech B-90, Sep 3, 1999
- Cessna 182B, Feb 7, 1982
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47, Jun 7, 2012
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.
