Piper PA-28-180 accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, June 22, 1986
On June 22, 1986 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9625J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- June 22, 1986 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9625J · no longer on the register · serial 28-3781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER A 20 MINUTE FLIGHT ON A LONG FINAL APPROACH THE ENGINE SPUTTERED & QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND THE ACFT WENT THROUGH A DITCH SEVERING THE LANDING GEAR. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE CARBURETOR REVEALED THAT A PIECE OF PLASTIC HAD BECOME TRAPPED BETWEEN THE NEEDLE & SEAT ASSY IN THE CARBURETOR, CUTTING OFF THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE CYLINDERS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,022 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 3,022 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,082 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from PGD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.