Piper PA-18-125 accident near Ft.Lauderdale, Florida, April 5, 1987
On April 5, 1987 at about 7:01 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-125, registered N9663H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft.Lauderdale, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- April 5, 1987 · about 7:01 pm local time
- Place
- Ft.Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-125 · all PA-18-125s on the register
- Registration
- N9663H · no longer on the register · serial 18-552
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE TOWING A BANNER APRX 200-300 YARDS OFFSHORE AT AN ALT OF APRX 500 FT THE ENG SPUTTERED, THEN QUIT. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE BANNER WAS THEN RELEASED & THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN THE OCEAN. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE & CORRESPONDING SYSTEMS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-CRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE REASON FOR THE ENG 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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,506 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 494 in the last 90 days; 6,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,236 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,608 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 2:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MIA, 25 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.
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.