Piper PA-24-260 accident near Everglades City, Florida, October 18, 2014
On October 18, 2014 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1965 Piper PA-24-260, registered N254WM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Everglades City, Florida (Everglades Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper approach to landing and his failure to perform a go-around, which resulted in a runway overshoot, runway excursion, and collision with vegetation and water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2014 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Everglades City, Florida · Everglades Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260, built 1965 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N254WM · no longer on the register · serial 24-4167
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the flight was uneventful; however, as he flared the airplane in ground effect, it floated and overran the runway coming to rest inverted, in about 6 feet of water. He was unable to recall if he applied power to the engine in order to perform a go-around. An eyewitness reported that the airplane's landing gear did not make contact with the runway surface and subsequently contacted mangrove vegetation at the departure end of the runway prior to the airplane nosing over into the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Landing distance › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,250 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2,250 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 16, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,825 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 355 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 2:00 pm
- Destination: X01 Everglades City FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,400 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KAPF, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on December 29, 2014. 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 | Pilot Statement to Sheriff's Deputy | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record – Naples Fl Weather | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 – Airplane at Rest (Photo 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.
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.