Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Merritt Island, Florida, November 27, 2000
On November 27, 2000 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N4914J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merritt Island, Florida (Merritt Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel failure to properly install engine cowling fasteners, which allowed the engine cowling to separate in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 2000 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Merritt Island, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N4914J · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, this was his second flight of the day. He taxied to runway 29 and departed to the west. He said he noted nothing out of the ordinary on takeoff or climb out until reaching about 500 feet when the engine cowling separated from the airplane. The cowling broke off a piece of the right windscreen, spun off and hit the baggage door and finally collided with the stabilator. Examination of the upper cowling revealed that three of the four fastener assembly studs were missing. A review of the airplane maintenance logs revealed that the cowling had been removed to service the hydraulic brakes on November 17, 2000 about 7 flight hours before the mishap.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2000; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-BIE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COI at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from COF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.