Piper PA-38-112 accident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida, February 20, 1987
On February 20, 1987 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N25459, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- February 20, 1987 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N25459 · no longer on the register · serial 38-81A0001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT AN ALT OF APRX 800 FEET THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENG BEGAN TO LOSE RPM. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE ON A ROAD. THE ACFT THEN GROUND LOOPED DUE TO CONTACT WITH SCRUB OAK TREES, WHICH RESULTED IN SEVERING OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. POST CRASH EXAMINATION & RUN UP OF THE ENG REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE/MALFUNCTION. A REVIEW OF THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART REVEALED THAT CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR SERIOUS ICING WITH A FLOAT TYPE CARBURETOR WHILE AT CRUISE POWER.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days; 13,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,454 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1986; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 7:50 pm
- Destination: PBI W.Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from DAB, 22 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N25459 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.