Sukhoi SU-31 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 30, 2004
On April 30, 2004 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Sukhoi SU-31, registered N31SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to recover from an intentional spin during an attempted aerobatic maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2004 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sukhoi SU-31 · all SU-31s on the register
- Registration
- N31SU · no longer on the register · serial 01-02
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the show announcer, the pilot performed the corkscrew maneuver that contained 56 consecutive snap rolls. He then climbed to an approximate altitude of 5000 feet and informed the announcer that he was going to conduct a flat spin maneuver. According to the announcer the number rotations the pilot conducted seemed to exceed the normal amount the pilot had conducted in the past. The spin maneuver continued until the airplane collided with the water. No evidence of mechanical, flight controls or control surfaces anomalies were discovered during the post-accident examination of the airplane wreckage.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,650 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,009 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 30, 2004; 1,009 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,495 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:27 pm from FXE, 5 miles away
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.