Piper PA-34 accident near Loxahatchee, Florida, May 28, 1985
On May 28, 1985 at about 4:00 am local time, a Piper PA-34, registered N3449Q, was destroyed in an accident near Loxahatchee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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
- May 28, 1985 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Loxahatchee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34 · all PA-34s on the register
- Registration
- N3449Q · no longer on the register · serial 347770229
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PASSENGERS WERE SEEN DRINKING BEER IN A BAR PRIOR TO THE FLT. AFTER THE ACFT TOOK OFF, WITNESSES OBSERVED IT FLYING VERY LOW NEAR A SHORELINE; ONE OF THEM WAS A POLICE OFFICER THAT IDENTIFIED THE ACFT BY ITS REGISTRATION NUMBER. AT APRX 1930, THE PLT MADE A VERY LOW PASS OVER AN ARPT AT HIGH SPEED & AGAINST THE PREVAILING FLOW OF TRAFFIC. NO KNOWN WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACDNT. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 3 DAYS LATER WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON A FEDERAL WILDLIFE PRESERVE & CAME TO REST PARTIALLY SUBMERGED AGAINST THE BANK OF A CANAL. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD COLLIDED WITH A HIGH TENSION ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINE AT ABOUT 40 FT AGL, THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND. TOXICOLOGY STUDIES BY THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SHOWED THE PLT'S BLOOD/CHEST FLUIDS HAD AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.09%. TESTS OF THE OCCUPANTS CHEST FLUIDS AT THE FAA AEROMEDICAL CENTER SHOWED ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 0.115% FOR THE PLT, 0.151% FOR THE FEMALE PASSENGER, & 0.085% FOR THE MALE PASSENGER. THE EXTENT OF POSSIBLE PUTREFACTION WAS NO VERIFIED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,087 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 2,043 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,928 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1985; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNA Lantana FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from PBI, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.