Piper PA-23-160 accident near St Petersburg, Florida, July 29, 1987
On July 29, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-160, registered N22GM, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Petersburg, Florida. It was an instructional 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 29, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- St Petersburg, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-160 · all PA-23-160s on the register
- Registration
- N22GM · no longer on the register · serial 231817
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CLIMBING ABV 3000' DRG AN INSTRNL FLT, THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) HAD THE STUDENT LOWER THE GEAR & FLAPS TO A TAKEOFF CONFIGURATION & SLOW THE ACFT BELOW VMC (72 KTS). THE CFI THEN SHUT OFF FUEL TO THE LEFT ENG. THE STUDENT FOLLOWED THE CORRECT PROCEDURES TO FEATHER THE ENG & ACCELLERATED TO VYSE (95 KTS), BUT AT VYSE, THE ACFT WOULDN'T MAINT ALT. THE CFITOLD THE STUDENT TO TURN BACK TWD THE ARPT & RESTART THE ENG. DRG THE 1ST ATMT, THE PROP TURNED A FEW TIMES, BUT THE ENGDIDN'T START. RPRTDLY, THE STARTER WOULDN'T ENGAGE DRG SUCCESSIVE ATMTS & THE ACFT CONTD DSCNDG. THE CFI TOOK CTL OF THEACFT & 'RECHECKED GEAR AND FLAPS RETRACTED USING ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC PUMP' WHILE RESTARTS WERE ATMTD. THE PLTS COULDN'T REACH THE ARPT, SO THEY ELECTED TO LND THE ACFT IN A SHALLOW BAY. WITNESSES NOTED THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS EXTENDED BFR THE ACFT WAS LNDD. WHEN THE ACFT WAS PULLED FROM THE WATER, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN PSN. HOWEVER, AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO REASON FOR THE LNDG GEAR SYS OR STARTER TO 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,500 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 4,150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,506 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 1986; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPG St. Petersburg FL at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:46 pm from SPG, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N22GM 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.