Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Marathon, Florida, July 14, 1986
On July 14, 1986 at about 12:21 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9306N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marathon, 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
- July 14, 1986 · about 12:21 pm local time
- Place
- Marathon, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9306N · no longer on the register · serial 28R-35006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLIGHT EXPERIENCED LOSS OF ENGINE OIL AND SUBSEQUENT SEIZING OF THE ENGINE AT WHICH TIME THE AIRCRAFT WAS DITCHED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE OIL LINE FROM THE PROPELLER GOVENOR TO THE ENGINE NOSE CASE HAD FAILED IN FATIGUE AT A BEND. TWO REQUIRED SUPPORT CLAMPS FOR THIS LINE WERE NOT INSTALLED. THE LINE HAD BEEN CHANGED 8 FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE FAILURE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1986; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0360-CIC (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bookstein Aircraft Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: EYW Key West FL at 11:45 am
- Destination: FXE Ft.Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from EYW, 39 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.