Piper PA-25-235 accident near Everglades, Florida, March 24, 1985
On March 24, 1985 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8773L, was destroyed in an accident near Everglades, Florida. 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
- March 24, 1985 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Everglades, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8773L · no longer on the register · serial 25-5258
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT OVER THE EVERGLADES AT APRX 500 FT AGL, WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH & DECREASED TO ABOUT 1200 RPM. DURING A FORCED LANDING, THE ACFT FUEL SYSTEM BURST BEFORE THE ACFT CAME TO REST & A FIRE ERUPTED. THE PLT EXITED THE ACFT & ATTEMPTED TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. HE THEN WALKED FOR ABOUT 6 HRS THRU THE EVERGLADES PARK BEFORE BEING RESCUED. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE & WAS ABANDONED.
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
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 275 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1984; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2G5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: X51 Homestead FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:57 pm from TMB, 12 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.