Piper PA-18 accident near Hollywood, Florida, April 3, 1982
On April 3, 1982 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N294T, was destroyed in an accident near Hollywood, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1982 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hollywood, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N294T · registry record · serial 18-2408
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TOWING A BANNER ALONG A BEACH WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. HE LANDED IN THE WATER JUST OFFSHORE AND ESCAPED WITHOUT INJURY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED BY THE SURF. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NO. 3 CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED. THE CYLINDER WAS NOT RECOVERED. THE ENGINE HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 900 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,270 hours in all; 666 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 1,183 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,720 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerial Sign CO. INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Hollywood FL at 11:00 am
- Destination: Hollywood FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 180°F (82°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from F11, 5 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N294T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.