Piper PA32R accident near Marathon, FL
On January 25, 2018, a Piper PA32R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Marathon, FL. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 25, 2018
- Place
- Marathon, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 24.957°N, 81.051°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180125X54359
Official records · ERA18LA070
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On January 25, 2018, about 1425 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N47863, was substantially damaged during collision with terrain shortly after takeoff from Florida Keys Marathon International Airport (MTH), Marathon, Florida. The private pilot and three passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.The accident flight was recorded via airport surveillance video. One video revealed the airplane began its takeoff roll from a complete stop, on runway 07 and travelled about 800 ft before the nose wheel lifted from the runway. At liftoff, the nose pitched up steeply and the airplane rolled left immediately, before it disappeared from the frame. A second video captured the takeoff from a much greater distance. The image in the frame was smaller with poorer resolution. The video revealed a steep pitch and left bank at takeoff. The climb stopped immediately after liftoff, and the airplane maintained approximately the same angle of bank as it departed the runway to its left, entered the trees, and disappeared. Several seconds later, a fireball appeared above the trees about the point where the airplane entered them. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the airplane "was performing well and didn't have any issues." The airplane reached approximately 60 knots on the takeoff roll when the nose wheel lifted from the runway and the airplane began an immediate left turn. He
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
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.
