Piper PA28 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 21, 2025
On July 21, 2025 at about 2:48 pm local time, a 1998 Piper PA28, registered N4187U, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s excessing pitch attitude during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2025 · about 2:48 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 181, built 1998 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N4187U · no longer on the register · serial 2843201
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that the accident flight was her second solo flight, and she had accumulated 0.6 hours of solo experience during her previous solo flight. She added that her flight instructor told her that she could practice soft and short field takeoffs if she felt comfortable. During the accident flight, she was attempting a soft field takeoff technique. After liftoff, the airplane drifted left and the student pilot attempted to correct with right rudder, but the airplane stalled left and impacted a parking lot. Both of the airplane’s wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, nor did the student pilot report any. Review of an airport video recording confirmed that the airplane took off in an extreme nose high attitude before it yawed left and stalled.
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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 21.4 in the last 90 days; 4.3 in the last 30 days; 0.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,667 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 14, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Inter American University Of Puerto Rico
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 5,539 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 am from TJIG
Weather report (METAR): TJIG 211445Z 10012KT 10SM SCT025 SCT060 30/22 A3005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Interview Summary of Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Airport Maintenance Video (MP4, 42 Seconds, 5MB) | video | View Download |
| 5 | Investigation Photograph | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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.