Piper PA-31-350 accident near Florida City, Florida, March 14, 1986
On March 14, 1986 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N49984, was destroyed in an accident near Florida City, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 14, 1986 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Florida City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N49984 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7552074
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE TOP OF A FLOOD CONTROL DIKE APPROX 12 FT WIDE. THE ACFT CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 1336 FT BEFORE THE LEFT WHEEL SLID OFF THE DIKE WHERE THE DIKE MAKES A SLIGHT CURVE TO THE RIGHT. THE LEFT GEAR WAS TORN FROM THE ACFT AS IT LEFT THE DIKE. THE LEFT WING STRUCK SOME HEAVY BRUSH WHICH ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT 180 DEGS. THE NOSE GEAR WAS TORN FROM THE ACFT & THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED ALL CABIN SEATS HAD BEEN REMOVED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS GUTTED BY FIRE. THE ACFT'S FUEL CAPS WERE LOCATED ON THE GROUND NEXT TO THE ACFT. AN UNIDENTIFIED BODY WAS FOUND ABOUT 835 FT NORTH OF THE ACFT. NO ONE HAS CLAIMED OWNERSHIP OF THE ACFT AND THE ADDRESS OF THE REGISTERED OWNER IS NON-EXISTENT.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-F2B2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Unknown
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.