Pilatus P-2/05 accident near St. Augustine, Florida, December 19, 1988
On December 19, 1988 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Pilatus P-2/05, registered N109PL, was destroyed in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1988 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus P-2/05
- Registration
- N109PL · registry record · serial 600-29
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER AN EN ROUTE STOP, THE PILOT TOOK OFF IN THE NEWLY ACQUIRED ACFT. SHORTLY AFTER GEAR AND FLAP RETRACTION, THE ENG SUSTAINED A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. THE PLT STATED THAT ALL ENG GAGES APPEARED NORMAL AND A TURN WAS BEGUN IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. MOMENTS LATER, ALL POWER WAS LOST AND A FORCED LDG WAS ATTEMPTED. DURING THE DESCENT, THE ACFT CLIPPED SOME TREES, STRUCK A POWER LINE, AND CRASHED INVERTED INTO A MOBILE-HOME PARK. WITNESSES STATED THE PLT HAD ATTEMPTED TO FLY THE ACFT THE DAY BEFORE, BUT RETURNED DUE TO ENG PROBLEMS. THE SINGLE SHAFT DUAL MAGS WERE ROTATED BY ELECTRIC MOTOR AFTER THE ACCIDENT & ONLY INTERMITTENT SPARKS WERE OBSERVED.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,255 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,840 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,770 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 28, 1988; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,343 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Argus AS-410-AZ (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sherman Aircraft Sales
The flight
- Departed from: SGT at 8:50 pm
- Destination: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CRG, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA89LA053.