Piper PA-28-161 accident near Fort Pierce, FL
On August 17, 2023, a Piper PA-28-161 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 17, 2023
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 27.433°N, 80.529°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230817192890
Official records · ERA23FA340
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 17, 2023, about 1202 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA28-161 airplane, N9855S, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida. One flight instructor was fatally injured and the other flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated by Aviator College under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as an instructional flight. According to the flight instructor seated in the left seat, the purpose of the flight was to conduct a Title 14 CFR Part 141 proficiency check in order for the flight instructor seated in the right seat to begin instructing for the flight school. The pilots departed from Treasure Coast International Airport (FPR), Fort Pierce, Florida, and proceeded about 10 miles southwest to perform a variety of training maneuvers. The left seat instructor administering the evaluation reported that the right seat instructor satisfactorily demonstrated maneuvers including chandelles, lazy eights, and slow flight. Subsequently, the right seat instructor asked him, “Can you show me something new?” The left seat instructor responded that given he was already an instructor, there were no new maneuvers, but added, “I can show you an EASA maneuver.” He described that the maneuver involved a power-off aerodynamic stall and recovery without the use of engine power. The left seat instructor took control of the airplane and initiated the demonstration; he pitched the airplane up and entered a full aerodynamic stall with the engine power at idle. He recalled that after the ai
Probable cause
The left seat instructor’s intentional maneuvering of the airplane in an aerobatic steep turn for which it was not approved, which resulted in an exceedance of the structural limitations of the airplane and an inflight breakup.
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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.
