Piper PA-46-500TP accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, June 3, 2013
On June 3, 2013 at about 10:20 am local time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registered N21EP, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near West Palm Beach, Florida (Wellington Aero Club 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 diversion of attention while taxiing the airplane, which resulted in his failure to maintain directional control and collision with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2013 · about 10:20 am local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · Wellington Aero Club Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-500TP · all PA-46-500TPs on the register
- Registration
- N21EP · registry record · serial 4697500
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was taxiing to the runway while adjusting the flight instruments for takeoff when the airplane drifted left of the taxiway centerline and struck a culvert. After performing a visual inspection of the airframe and determining that all systems functioned normally, the pilot elected to continue to the runway and complete the flight as planned. The following day, an inspection of the airplane performed by a mechanic revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. He further stated that he should not have started taxiing the airplane or attempted to “multi-task” while taxiing.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during taxi (to runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (to runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › (general) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,317 hours in all; 170 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 22, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 66 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 2012; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,092 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FD38 West Palm Beach FL at 10:20 am
- Destination: VRB Vero Beach FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from PBI, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Record - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record - Weather | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1: Picture of Right Wing of Accident Airplane in Hangar (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2: Picture of Accident Airplane Left Wing and Part of Right Wing in Hangar (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N21EP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N21EP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-46 Malibu, Mirage, Matrix and M-Class 1,693 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wellington Aero Club Airport · nearest airport
- Vero Beach Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,708 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N21EP 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13CA278.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.