Piper PA-32R-301 accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, August 1, 2002
On August 1, 2002 at about 5:47 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-301, registered N957T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Pilot in command failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll that resulted in a ground loop and the overload failure of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2002 · about 5:47 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301 · all PA-32R-301s on the register
- Registration
- N957T · registry record · serial 3246176
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the private pilot, as he applied braking action during rollout, the airplane began to veer left. Although he added right rudder to correct the problem, he was not able to stop the airplane from veering to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun around approximately 180 degrees, coming to rest on the runway surface. Examination of the airplane revealed a significant amount of side load had occurred, and both the left and right main landing gears collapsed to the left. The right wing was damaged when the landing gear collapsed. There were several tire marks on the runway that terminated at the point where the airplane rested. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane prior to and during the accident sequence of events.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 418 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 418 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 418 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2002; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 5:00 pm
- Destination: FXE Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 310, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from FXE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL02LA149.