Piper PA-60-601P accident near St Petersburg, Florida, March 30, 1988
On March 30, 1988 at about 1:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-60-601P, registered N3645E, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Petersburg, Florida. It was a personal 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
- March 30, 1988 · about 1:53 pm local time
- Place
- St Petersburg, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P · all PA-60-601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N3645E · registry record · serial 61P084581634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING THRU 1600 FT WHEN THE UPPER HALF OF THE MAIN ENTRY DOOR OPENED & SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE PHYSICIAN PLT STATED THAT HE WAS REASONABLY SURE THAT HE HAD SECURED THE DOOR PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. HE STATED THAT ALTHOUGH THE CABIN HAD NOT YET PRESSURIZED, THE DOOR SEAL HAD INFLATED & THE CABIN WAS SET TO PRESSURIZE AT 2000 FT. THE DOOR WAS RECOVERED FROM A MOBILE HOME PARK WHERE IT HAD STRUCK A MOBILE HOME. AN EXAM OF THE DOOR REVEALED THE FOUR LOCKING PINS WERE EXTENDED OR IN THE LOCKED POSITION. NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE REASON FOR THE UNWARRANTED DOOR OPENING. SINCE 1980, THE AEROSTAR HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN FOUR ACCIDENTS & EIGHT INCIDENTS IN WHICH THE MAIN CABIN ENTRY DOOR OPENED IN FLT. ONE OF THE ACCIDENTS RESULTED IN A FATALITY. ON 4-12-88, THE NTSB RECOMMENDED TO FAA THAT AN AD NOTE BE ISSUED IN A EFFORT TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,317 hours in all; 227 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 1,185 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,867 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from PIE, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.