Piper PA-23-160 N3317P

Summary

On 29 June 2000 at about 20:30 local time, a Piper PA-23-160 registered N3317P was involved in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2000 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Winter Haven, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Winter Haven Airport (GIF)

Coordinates

28.0410, -81.7203

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-160

Registration

N3317P

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA00LA193

2 people had minor injuries.

the flight instructor's failure to follow procedures/directives and his misjudgment of distance/altitude following a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the proper touchdown point not being attained, an off airport landing being affected, and substantial damage to the aircraft during the emergency landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that during the climbout, at about 500 feet indicated altitude, the left engine ceased operating. He said he took control of the airplane, performed the normal procedures, and flew back to the airport, making communication announcements on the frequency, 122.7. The instructor said that as he was flying the airplane, he noticed the landing gear was not coming down, so he leveled off and proceeded to pump the gear down. By the time the gear indicator lights showed three green lights, the instructor said that he had flown past the airport boundary at an altitude of 100 feet above ground level. The instructor said that he was going to try to turn around, but decided to proceed straight ahead and land in an orange grove, since the airplane was not climbing at Vyse. A certified FAA mechanic with inspection authorization examined the left engine, and did not find any mechanical failure or malfunction with the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.