Piper PA-24-250 accident near Rockledge, Florida, September 16, 1984
On September 16, 1984 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7431P, was destroyed in an accident near Rockledge, Florida (Biblia Campground airport). It was a personal flight 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
- September 16, 1984 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rockledge, Florida · Biblia Campground · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7431P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A MOUND OF DIRT WHILE EXECUTING A GO-AROUND AT A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. THE PLT STATED HE SELECTED RWY 27 BASED ON WINDS REPORTED AT ANOTHER AIRPORT AND WHEN THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT MID-POINT OF THE STRIP, 'I RETRACTED FLAPS AND APPLIED FULL POWER TO TAKEOFF.' THE ACFT IMPACTED BRUSH ON TOP OF THE MOUND AND THE PLT CALLED THE ACCIDENT A 'MIS-CALCULATION.'
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,228 hours in all; 273 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 1,195 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1984; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLB Melbourne FL at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from MEL, 10 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.