Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601 accident near Pahokee, Florida, January 10, 1987
On January 10, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601, registered N181X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pahokee, 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
- January 10, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pahokee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N181X · no longer on the register · serial 61-0149-079
- 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 HE WAS CONDUCTING AN OVER WATER APCH TO RWY 17 WHEN HE OBSERVED TRAFFIC PREPARING TO LAND AHEAD OF HIM. HE SLOWED THE ACFT FOR TRAFFIC SEPARATION, LOWERED THE GEAR, & EXTENDED PARTIAL FLAPS. HE THEN STATED THAT HE FELT AN ABNORMAL LOSS OF ALTITUDE & AIRSPEED WHICH HE ATTRIBUTED TO FAILURE OF THE RIGHT ENG, THOUGH THE RUDDER PEDALS DIDN'T FEEL AS THOUGH THE ENG HAD MALFUNCTIONED. HE ADDED POWER TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED ABOVE VMC, THEN FULL POWER AS HE DIDN'T GET THE EXPECTED RESPONSE IN THRUST OR AIRSPEED. THE FLAPS WERE THEN RETRACTED & THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE LAKE. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENG REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,129 hours in all; 2,654 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,655 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1986; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNA West Palm Bch FL at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from PBI, 32 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.