Piper PA-32-300 accident near Everglades City, Florida, October 19, 2003
On October 19, 2003 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N198GM, was substantially damaged in an accident 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 failure to maintain the proper glide path during the approach to land, which resulted in him undershooting the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2003 · about 7:40 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-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N198GM · registry record · serial 32-7440126
- 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 had just taken off when the forward baggage compartment opened, and he entered the traffic pattern to land at the same airport he had just departed from. He said the approach was normal, but while on short final the descent rate increased, and the main landing gear contacted the ground about 5 feet short of the runway. He said the airplane then bounced on the runway surface, and it continued about 1,200 feet down the centerline of the runway before the left main landing gear separated from the airplane. The airplane then departed to the left side of the runway and into the grass. He also said that prior to the accident there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 264 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,485 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 2003; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1AS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X01 Everglades City FL at 3:30 pm
- Destination: X01
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from APF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA04CA006.