Piper PA-46-500TP accident near Tampa, Florida, January 14, 2007
On January 14, 2007 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registered N184RB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa International Airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate design of the engine mount by the manufacturer, resulting in fatigue failure at the actuator attach foot and partial collapse of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2007 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-500TP · all PA-46-500TPs on the register
- Registration
- N184RB · registry record · serial 4697087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a normal touchdown, the right forward support tube on the nose acutuator attach foot failed due to a fatigue crack at the weld joint. The airplane veered to the right causing overstress fracture of the left forward support tube on the nose actuator attach foot, and partial collapse of the nose landing gear. The pilot stopped the airplane on the runway. Service bulletin (SB) 1154A, which was prepared by the airplane manufacturer due to previous failures of the engine mount at the actuator attach foot attach point had been performed 63.9 hours earlier. The SB requires repetitive inspections every 100 hours time in service unless a newly designed engine mount was installed.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 497 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,066.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006; 63.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBCT Boca Raton FL at 10:30 pm
- Destination: KTPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18L, 8,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KTPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 MIA07LA038.