Piper PA-28-181 accident near Missing, August 18, 1998
On August 18, 1998 at about 4:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N25626, was destroyed in an accident near Missing. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The aircraft is missing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1998 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Missing
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N25626 · no longer on the register · serial 28-8590091
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed Matthew Town in the Bahama Islands, enroute to Kingston. At 1248, the pilot reported their position at Benet intersection, which is 15 miles from the western tip of the south claw of Haiti. The pilot was instructed to contact Norman Manley Tower in Kingston. No further radio contact was received from N25626. The flight never arrived at the destination airport. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a two-day air and sea search for the missing airplane. In addition to the air and sea efforts, the Government of Cuba was asked for assistance. Ramp checks were conducted at several airports along the intended route of flight. These efforts failed to locate the airplane. No aircraft wreckage debris was found on the sea. Satellite weather images taken at the approximate time N25626 checked in with Port-au Prince, and in the vicinity of Benet Intersection, revealed cloud cover over Benet intersection, possibly associated with convective activity. There were four life vests placed on the airplane when the flight initially departed Titusville, Florida.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,432 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 1998; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-260-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: Matthew Town at 2:23 pm
- Destination: MKJP Kingston
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:58 pm from O/S
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.