Piper PA-34-200T accident near St.Petersburg, Florida, March 20, 1999
On March 20, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N5423F, was substantially damaged in an accident near St.Petersburg, Florida (St Petersburg/Clearwater airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare that resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- St.Petersburg, Florida · St Petersburg/Clearwater
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N5423F · registry record · serial 34-7770018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the flight was cleared for a visual approach and landing on runway 09 at destination. During the touchdown phase of the landing, the aircraft bounced. The pilot recovered from the bounce and taxied to the parking ramp. The pilot noticed that the right propeller and right landing gear was damaged. Also there were wrinkles in the fuselage and the right wing assembly. The pilot reported that all was normal on the approach and that he thinks he may have flared to high.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 866 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 688 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,580 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 1998; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,773 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360EB (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCO Newnan GA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: PIE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 5,165 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.