Piper PA-44-180 accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, May 9, 1989
On May 9, 1989 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N2231M, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida. It was an instructional 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
INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), AND FAILURE OF THE CREW TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM POSSIBLE INTERRUPTION OF FUEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 1989 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N2231M · registry record · serial 44-7995217
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS FOR CREW COORDINATION TRAINING & WAS ADMINISTERED BY FLT SAFETY INTL FOR AER LINGUS, A FOREIGN AIRLINE. AN INSTRUCTOR (CFI) & 2 FOREIGN PLTS WERE ABOARD (STUDENTS HAD PREVIOUSLY GOTTEN U.S. CERTS WITH SINGLE/MULTI-ENG RATINGS).BEFORE THE ACDNT, THE ACFT WAS HDG NE. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT IT TURNED EAST WHILE MAINTAINING A CONSTANT ALT OF 3500'. AFTER TURNING EAST, ITS GND SPD SLOWED TO 53 KTS. THE ACFT THEN BEGAN A RGT TURN AT A RATE OF 125 DEG/MIN. AFTER TURNINGSOUTH, THE ACFT'S GND SPD SLOWED TO 37 KTS. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A DSCNT, WHICH INCREASED TO 8000'/MIN. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT SPINNING LEFT, IN A NOSE DWN ATTITUDE, BEFORE IT IMPACTED IN THE OCEAN. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT DRG IMPACT, NEITHER ENG WAS OPERG, FLAPS WERE EXTNDD 10 DEG, MAIN GEAR WAS EXTNDD & THENOSE GEAR WAS IN TRANSIT. THE ACFT MANUFACTURER RPRTD THAT A SPIN MAY CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF FUEL TO THE ENGS BY EXCEEDING THE CARB LIMITATIONS. INTENTIONAL SPINS WERE PROHIBITED. VMC & STALL SPDS WERE 56 & 54 KTS, RESPECTIVELY.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,650 as pilot in command; 3,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,785 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 28, 1989; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Safety International
The flight
- Departed from: VRB Vero Beach FL at 1:44 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from VRB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.