Piper PA-32-300 accident near Monticello, Florida, April 15, 1988
On April 15, 1988 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N5231S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monticello, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- April 15, 1988 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monticello, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N5231S · no longer on the register · serial 32-40768
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE ENROUTE TO ST. PETERSBURG, AND IN THE VICINITY OF MONTECELLO FL, HE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE ENGINE VIBRATIONS AND A LOSS OF POWER. HE THEN SELECTED A FIELD TO LAND IN & ON HIS APCH, THE ACFT STRUCK SOME TREES, SHEARED OFF THE WINGS & CAME TO REST IN A WOODED AREA NEAR THE FIELD. EXAMINATIONS, PARTIAL DISASSEMBLY AND CONTINUITY CHECK OF THE ENGINE & ITS RELATED COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,094 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,590 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1987; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-R1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHA Chattanooga TN at 4:45 pm
- Destination: PIE St Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from TLH, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.