Piper PA-32-300 accident near Luquillo, Puerto Rico, July 16, 1989
On July 16, 1989 at about 11:12 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N999MA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Luquillo, Puerto Rico. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE LEFT EXHAUST STACK WHICH RESULTED IN AN ENGINE FIRE, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, AND SUBSEQUENT DITCHING OF THE ACFT IN OCEAN WATERS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1989 · about 11:12 am local time
- Place
- Luquillo, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N999MA · registry record · serial 32-40854
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DRG FLT OVER THE OCEAN, HE SMELLED AN ODOR OF SOMETHING BURNING. SHORTLY AFTERWARD, THE ENG LOST POWER. THE PLT WAS ABLE TO GLIDE THE ACFT TO ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM SHORE, THEN HE DITCHED IT IN THE OCEAN. LATER, THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED. AN EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT EXHAUST STACK HAD FAILED & THE ESCAPING EXHAUST GASES HAD RESULTED IN AN ENG COMPARTMENT FIRE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,589 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 5, 1988; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2JU San Juan PR at 11:00 am
- Destination: STT St. Thomas
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from SJU, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N999MA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 MIA89LA200.