Piper PA-44-180 incident near Vero Beach, Florida, August 16, 1988
On August 16, 1988 at about 5:21 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N2193V, suffered minor damage in an incident near Vero Beach, Florida (Vero Beach airport). 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 incident. 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 16, 1988 · about 5:21 pm local time
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · Vero Beach
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N2193V · registry record · serial 7995266
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI & HIS PVT PLT-RATED MULTI ENG STUDENT WERE CONDUCTING TOUCH & GO LDGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE MULTI-ENG RATING. THE CFI STATED THAT ONE OF THE LDGS WAS HARDER THAN USUAL, BUT NOT OVERLY HARD. ON THE NEXT APRCH, THEY NOTICED THE RT GEAR INDICATOR WAS NOT SHOWING DOWN & LOCKED. THE TOWER ADVISED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RT GEAR. ALL ATTEMPTS TO GET GEAR DOWN & LOCKED FAILED SO A DECISION WAS MADE BY THE CFI TO LAND WITH ALL GEAR UP. INSP BY FAA REVEALED THE RT GEAR STRUT HOUSING HAD FAILED DUE TO SHEAR AND TORSION AS A RESULT OF A SIDE LOAD & HARD LDG.
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: 3,120 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 330 in the last 90 days; 144 in the last 30 days; 3,080 as pilot in command; 405 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,874 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1988; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 6,271 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:23 pm from VRB
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.
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.