Piper PA-31 accident near Panama City, Florida, June 26, 1990
On June 26, 1990 at about 10:15 am local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N18PA, was destroyed in an accident near Panama City, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF POWER ON BOTH ENGINES DURING TAKEOFF AS A RESULT OF INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT FAILED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 1990 · about 10:15 am local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N18PA · registry record · serial 31-7712068
- 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
WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE TAKEOFF AS A LONG GROUND ROLL, SLOW CLIMB, AND ENGINES NOT SOUNDING NORMAL. THE AIRPLANE THEN SETTLED INTO TREES. TEARDOWN OF THE LEFT ENGINE REVEALED WATER PRESENT IN THE FUEL INJECTOR LINES OF #1, #3 AND #5 CYLS. #3 NOZZLE PLUGGED. INTAKE VALVES DARK & SOOTY. PISTONS 1, 3 AND 5 HAD CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF DARK CARBON DEPOSITS. TEARDOWN OF RIGHT ENGINE REVEALED EXTENSIVE CARBON BUILDUPS THROUGHOUT. AN ENGINE TEST RUN WAS PERFORMED BY THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE DAY BEFORE ACCIDENT. PERSONNEL FORMERLY EMPLOYED BY THE OPERATOR PROVIDED WRITTEN STATEMENTS OF ALLEGATIONS PERTAINING TO THE GENERAL CONDITION OF COMPANY AIRPLANES, FALSIFICATION OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS, AND IMPROPER MAINTANANCE PROCEDURES BEING PERFORMED ON COMPANY AIRPLANES.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,524 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 346 in the last 90 days; 118 in the last 30 days; 7,208 as pilot in command; 285 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,993 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 17, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540F2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Panama Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 am from PFN, 314 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 MIA90FA145.