Piper PA23 accident near Cedar Key, Florida, June 16, 2017
On June 16, 2017 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1962 Piper PA23, registered N4317Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Cedar Key, Florida (George T Lewis 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 failure to stop the airplane within the available runway after conducting the approach and landing with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2017 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cedar Key, Florida · George T Lewis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA23 160, built 1962 · all PA23s on the register
- Registration
- N4317Y · no longer on the register · serial 23-2041
- 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 takeoff, climb, and en route portions of the cross-country flight were uneventful. He checked the wind sock before landing, and it was "flaccid," indicating calm wind. He slowed the airplane to 80 mph on final approach and landed near the approach end of the runway, which was 2,355 ft long. He estimated that the airplane should have rolled to a stop; however, it continued down the runway despite heavy braking. The airplane departed the end of the runway, traveled across a small road and down an embankment, and came to rest in water at the edge of the airport boundary. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage and reported that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and submersion in salt water. There were tire skid marks on the runway leading to the wreckage. A weather buoy, located about 1 mile east of the airport, recorded wind from the west about the time of the accident, which would have resulted in a tailwind of up to 8 knots. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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 (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Landing distance › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Water/moisture › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer, recreational
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 31, 2017
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,291 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,801 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 761 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 2,191 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCO Newnan GA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: CDK Cedar Key FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 2,355 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from CTY, 25 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 21, 2017. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Memorandun for Record - FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Noaa Bouy Wind Data | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | 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.