Aerostar 600 accident near Pahokee, Florida, August 9, 1983
On August 9, 1983 at about 11:51 pm local time, a Aerostar 600, registered N7447S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pahokee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were 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
- August 9, 1983 · about 11:51 pm local time
- Place
- Pahokee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerostar 600
- Registration
- N7447S · no longer on the register · serial 60-0028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPARTED FT. PIERCE, FL ON A VFR FLIGHT TO KEY WEST, FL, AND DITCHED IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE. WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH5000 FT THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER AND STARTED SURGING, THE OIL TEMPERATURE GAUGE FAILED AND SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE PLT REDUCED POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT. HE THOUGHT THE ENGINE WAS PRODUCING POWER SO HE DID NOT FEATHER. WHEN HE REALIZED THE ARPT WOULD NOT BE MADE HE SET UP FOR A DITCHING IN THE LAKE. BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, POWER WAS CUT AND BOTH PROPS FEATHERED, BUT THE LEFT PROP DID NOT FEATHER. INSPECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE AFTER ACFT RECOVERY SHOWED THE OIL TEMPERATURE AND IGNITION WIRES RAN IN A BUNDLE OF 5 WIRES INCORRECTLY ROUTED WITHIN A QUARTER INCH OF THE TURBOCHARGER EXHAUST WHICH BURNED THROUGH ALL WIRES AND GROUNDED OUT THE IGNITION. THE LEFT ENGINE DID NOT FEATHER DUE TO LOW RPM. ONE HR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE NUMBER 1, 4, 5 AND 6 CYLINDERS WERE CHANGED, WHICH REQUIRED REMOVING THE ENG FROM THE ACFT.
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: 1,250 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,690 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1983; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 11:30 pm
- Destination: EYW Key West FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 5°F (-15°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from PBI, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.