Piper 601P accident near Fort Myers, Florida, November 1, 1989
On November 1, 1989 at about 7:05 am local time, a Piper 601P, registered N50TR, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida (Southwest Florida Rgnl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY FOLLOW THE IFR PROCEDURE AND TO IDENTIFY THE DECISION HEIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, DARKNESS, THE PILOT'S LACK OF VISUAL PERCEPTION WITHOUT THE APPROACH LIGHTS, AND TREE(S) IN THE ACCIDENT AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1989 · about 7:05 am local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida · Southwest Florida Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper 601P
- Registration
- N50TR · registry record · serial 61P0382225
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPD MIAMI AT NGT ON AN ON-DEMAND, AIR TAXI FLT TO FT MYERS, FL. DURING ARRIVAL AT THE DESTN, THE FLT ENCTRD IFR CONDS. THE PLT OBTAINED CLNC FOR AN ILS RWY 6 APCH & WAS TOLD TO RPRT AT THE OUTER MARKER (OM). AT 0152:25 EST, HE RPRTD TO MIAMI CENTER THAT HE WAS OVER THE OM. THIS WAS HIS LAST TRANSMISSION TO AN ATC FACILITY. AT ABOUT 0203 EST, HE MADE A TRANSMISSION ON UNICOM FREQ TO INFORM ARPT OPNS PSNL THAT HE COULD NOT GET THE APCH LIGHTS TO OPERATE. HE WAS ASKED IF HE HAD USED THE PROPER FREQ & HAD KEYED THE MIKE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF TIMES. THE PLT INDCD THAT HE HAD PROPERLY KEYED THE MIKE; HOWEVER, UNICOM PSNL DID NOT HEAR ANY KEYING OF THE MIKE EXCEPT FOR 2 CLICKS. THE ACFT CTCD THE GND IN A NRLY LEVEL ATTITUDE & WITH THE GEAR EXTENDED, APRX 1.5 MI SHORT OF RWY 6. IT THEN SKIDDED ABOUT 90 FT & HIT A TREE BEFORE COMING TO REST. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND WITH THE ACFT, ENG OR APCH/RWY LIGHTS. THE 0149 EST WX AT FT MYERS WAS IN PART: SKY OBSCURED, VIS 1/4 MI WITH FOG.
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: 1,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,881 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 1989; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMIA Miami FL at 6:08 am
- Destination: KRSW
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 8,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 am from KRSW, 125 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.