Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Fort Myers, Florida, May 31, 2005
On May 31, 2005 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N333TG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida (Fort Myers Lee airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
Inadequate maintenance and repair of the engine top cowling by company maintenance personnel, resulting in failure and separation of the cowling in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2005 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida · Fort Myers Lee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N333TG · registry record · serial 32R-7680320
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that no abnormalities were noted during a thorough preflight inspection or during the walk around. The takeoff roll and initial climb were uneventful, at about 300 feet above the ground, the top cowling of the engine separated and struck the right side of the windshield and the right side of the horizontal stabilator. The pilot returned to the airport and landed without further incident. The center portion of the top engine cowling was not recovered. The right portion of the top engine cowling separated in-flight but was recovered, and the left portion of the top engine cowling remained attached to its two latch points. Examination of the right portion of the cowling revealed that the forward latch was broken and separated in half. Both the forward and aft latches were bent, twisted aft, and canted aft. Examination of the left portion of the cowling revealed no apparent damage to the latches. The accident airplane had a previous incident on October 22, 2003, in which the top engine cowling separated during climb out and impacted the windshield. The airplane returned to the airport and landed without further incident also. Examination of the maintenance records revealed that following the incident in 2003, the top engine cowling was replaced by a cowling which had accumulated 11,800 flight hours at the time of the replacement. That cowling subsequently had actions performed to it, including two repairs of the fiberglass structure accomplished on July 7, 2004 and September 14, 2004. The latter of these repairs addressed a crack at the forward area of the top cowling.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,915 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 143 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,770 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2005; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ram Air Freight INC
The flight
- Departed from: FMY
- Destination: APF Naples FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 4,912 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from FMY
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.
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.