Piper PA-28R N54380

Summary

On 10 August 2015 at about 04:35 local time, a Piper PA-28R registered N54380, operated by Palm Beach Flight Training, was involved in an accident near Marathon, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 2015 at 04:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Marathon, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

The Florida Keys Marathon (MTH)

Coordinates

24.7300, -81.0767

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R

Registration

N54380

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Palm Beach Flight Training

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marathon → West Palm Beach

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA15FA299

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a positive climb rate after takeoff due to spatial disorientation while turning after takeoff in dark night conditions in a sparsely populated area, which resulted in the airplane’s descent into water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to depart on a night flight over water.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the airplane owner, the noninstrument-rated pilot had rented the airplane in Palm Beach, Florida, 1 day before the accident and was not scheduled to return the airplane until the day after the accident. The rental agreement prohibited night flight to or from the Florida Keys. However, about 4 hours after sunset on the night of the accident, the pilot departed an airport on the Florida Keys. Airport security video recorded the airplane becoming airborne, climbing, and beginning to turn right. A witness reported seeing the airplane descending into the water with the engines running. The flight was conducted on a dark, moonless night, and in a sparsely populated area of Florida near the water. No visible horizon could be seen on the video. Based on the dark night conditions, the lack of visual reference at the time of the accident, the pilot's low overall flight time, and the pilot's lack of an instrument rating, it is likely that he became spatially disoriented, which led to the subsequent descent into water. Examination of the wreckage revealed a right wing low attitude at the time of the impact, which was consistent with the pilot maintaining the right turn seen in the security video recordings. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.