Piper PA-34-200 accident near Miami, Florida, March 4, 1987
On March 4, 1987 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N41531, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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
- March 4, 1987 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami Int'L Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N41531 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7450129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH & CLEARED TO LAND LONG, WHEN A 737 WAS CLEARED FOR AN IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF AND HE WAS TOLD TO MAKE S TURNS OR WHATEVER NECESSARY. HE SLOWED TO LAND AND WHEN HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 20 FT. IN THE AIR HE ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE AND ROLLED 60 TO 70 DEGREES RIGHT & NOSE DOWN RECOVERED TO LEVEL ATTITUDE AND LANDED ON GRASS TO THE RIGHT OF RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO THE RADAR PLOT, ADEQUATE SPACING EXISTED BETWEEN THE DEPARTING 737 AND THE PIPER SENECA.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 1,950 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 17, 1987; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C136 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBI West Palm Beach FL at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9R, 13,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:42 pm from MIA
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.