Piper PA-28-181 N294PA
6 December 2004 · Fort Pierce, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 December 2004 at about 17:43 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N294PA, operated by Pan Am Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:43
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Pierce, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Fort Pierce/St. Lucie County (KFPR)
- Coordinates
- 27.4950, -80.3681
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181
- Registration
- N294PA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Pan Am Flight Academy
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fort Pierce → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA05LA042
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot of the Piper 181to apply his parking brake when stopped awaiting departure and his failure to maintain a visual lookout resulting in his airplane rolling forward and colliding with the Piper 201 which was awaiting departure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Two Piper airplanes were waiting to takeoff on runway 9 when they collided. The student pilot in N294PA, a Piper PA-181, stated that he completed his engine run-up in the designated engine run-up area and then taxied to the holding position for runway 9, at A-4. He brought his airplane to a stop behind N283PA, a Piper PA-201. He stated that he usually sets the parking brake, selects 1,000 engine rpm, and switches off the landing light. He does not remember doing these steps. He does remember holding pressure on the toe-brakes. As he waited, he turned around to look for a bottle of water in the back seat. When he did, he took his feet off the toe-brakes, thinking the parking brake was set. A moment later, while still turned around, he heard a loud bang and felt his airplane shaking. He immediately looked in front of him and saw that his propeller had hit the tail of the 201. The flight instructor on the 201 stated that he and his student had been holding second in line for departure for a few minutes prior to the accident. They felt an impact and their airplane skidded forward a few feet. He opened the cabin door and looked back to see the 181 behind them with the engine stopped, and the propeller spinner buried in the empennage of his airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-28-181 | N294PA | Pan Am Flight Academy | Minor |
| Piper PA-28R-201 | N283PA | Pan Am Flight Academy | Substantial |
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | IATA Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2004 | Piper PA-28-180 | Hurdland, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-28-181 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Pan Am International Flight Academy Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 31 Jul 2004 | Piper PA-28-140 | Custer, South Dakota, United States | Flight Training Adventure Camps | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Kapolei, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2004 | Piper PA-28-181 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2004 | Robinson R-22 | Pompano Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2004 | Robinson R22 | Keystone, Florida, United States | Collective Helicopter Corp | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2004 | Beechcraft BE90 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Execstar Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 2004 | Rotorway 162F | New Smyrna Beac, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2004 | Beechcraft H35 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Tim Sullivan | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 2004 | Eurocopter Deutschland BO-105 CBS5 | Santa Rosa Bch, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |