Piper PA-60 accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, August 25, 1988
On August 25, 1988 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-60, registered N6069W, was destroyed in an accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- August 25, 1988 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60 · all PA-60s on the register
- Registration
- N6069W · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT USED ALMOST THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY DURING THE GROUND RUN. AFTER ROTATION & GEAR RETRACTION, IT CONTINUED TO CLIMB IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE TO APRX 100-150 FEET, THEN IT STARTED AN APRX 20 DEGREE BANK TO THE RIGHT UNTIL IT HIT POWER LINES AND CRASHED INTO THE TOP OF A PRINTING SHOP ABOUT 3/4 MILE FROM THE ARPT. WITNESSES EMPLOYED AT THE AIRPORT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN HAVING UNDETERMINED PROBLEMS WITH THE RIGHT ENGINE FOR A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, BUT WAS STILL BEING FLOWN AND THE RT ENG RUNNING EXTREMELY ROUGH.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:31 pm from HWO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.