Piper PA-23-250 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 8, 1983
On June 8, 1983 at about 11:23 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N619MP, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- June 8, 1983 · about 11:23 am local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N619MP · no longer on the register · serial 27-3413
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE BEACH & OUT OVER THE OCEAN. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT OVER THE OCEAN, THE SKY WAS DARK & THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING WITH HEAVY LIGHTNING. AS THE ACFT CROSSED THE BEACH, A DISTINCT ENG SOUND WAS HEARD & IT INCREASED AS THE ACFT BANKED STEEPLY TO THE RIGHT & NOSED DOWN TO A NEAR VERTICAL DIVE. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT STRUCK THE WATER WHILE IN A 75 TO 90 DEG DIVE, WITH THE ENGS AT HIGH RPM. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & SANK IN THE OCEAN. THE ACFT WAS NOT RECOVERED, BUT DIVERS VERIFIED THAT IT WAS N619MP.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 216 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 7:28 am
- Destination: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft; not recorded at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 am from FLL, 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.
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.