Piper PA34 accident near Miami, Florida, September 11, 2018
On September 11, 2018 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1974 Piper PA34, registered N88AG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Miami, Florida (Dade-Collier Training And Tran airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot under instruction’s failure to maintain the twin-engine airplane’s minimum control airspeed with one engine inoperative and the flight instructor’s distraction when reconfiguring the airplane following the simulated engine failure, which resulted in no power being available to the left engine and a loss of control during landing when the throttles were advanced to increase airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2018 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Dade-Collier Training And Tran · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34 200, built 1974 · all PA34s on the register
- Registration
- N88AG · no longer on the register · serial 34-7450093
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor in the multiengine airplane reported that the pilot under instruction was conducting a simulated instrument approach in visual flight rules conditions. The instructor placed the left engine fuel selector in the "off" position to simulate an engine out, and the pilot under instruction initiated the left engine failure procedure by placing the engine and propeller levers in a simulated feathered zero-thrust configuration. The instructor became distracted by traffic and failed to place the left engine fuel selector back to the "on" position. With full flaps and the landing gear extended and while about 250 ft above ground level, the instructor terminated the simulated instrument approach and instructed the pilot to land visually; however, the airspeed decreased below safe limits, and he instructed the pilot to increase the airspeed. The pilot increased power on both engines; however, the left engine power did not increase, and the airplane rolled to the left about 45°. The instructor took the controls and applied right aileron and rudder, but the airplane settled down in a level attitude in a shallow lagoon on the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage bulkheads. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 22, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 221 hours in all; 8.5 in this make and model; 22.2 in the last 90 days; 9.6 in the last 30 days; 72.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 7, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,698.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 23, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 7,033 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO360 SER (piston); 7,033 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: HWO Hollywood FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 10,499 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 23,000 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KMIA, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2019. 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 | Photo | 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.