Piper PA23 accident near Pahokee, FL
On March 8, 2019, a Piper PA23 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pahokee, FL. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 8, 2019
- Place
- Pahokee, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA23 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 26.788°N, 80.713°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190309X93709
Official records · WPR19FA093
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Audio - Pbi Ar-I: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Data - Pbi: Document (PPB), on ntsb.gov
- ATC FAA Accident Package: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Graphic - Figure 1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Graphic - Figure 2: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 8, 2019, about 1526 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-23-250 airplane, N5894Y, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pahokee, Florida. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The airplane departed Tampa International Airport (TPA), Tampa, Florida, about 1420 and was destined for North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida. About 1514, while descending from cruise altitude through about 4,600 ft mean sea level (msl) toward F45, the pilot advised the controller that he might be having engine issues and may need to divert to Pahokee Airport (PHK), Pahokee, Florida. About 1518, the pilot informed the controller that he needed to divert to PHK, as the left engine was "misfiring" and he was "about to shut it down." The pilot subsequently advised that he had PHK in sight and was cleared for a visual approach. Just north of the airport, about 1,100 ft msl, the airplane turned away from the runway and continued to descend as it flew south past the airport. The last radar return showed the airplane descending through 700 ft msl about 1 mile south of the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted a lake about 2 miles northwest of the final data point, which was about 1/2 mile west of the airport. A witness reported that the airplane approached from the northwest and "appeared to be losing control." The airplane entered a nose-down attitude and descended rapidly to the water in a left bank. The airplane sank sho
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering for landing with one engine inoperative following a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
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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.
