Piper PA-28-161 accident near Everglades City, Florida, October 16, 1990
On October 16, 1990, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N143FT, was destroyed in an accident near Everglades City, Florida. It was a personal 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
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND HIS SPATIAL DISORIENTATION DURING A NIGHT TAKEOFF OVER WATER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1990
- Place
- Everglades City, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N143FT · no longer on the register · serial 28-8216193
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NONINSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PLT DEPARTED ON A NIGHT VFR FLIGHT FROM A SPARSELY POPULATED AIRFIELD OVER WATER. VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED, HOWEVER NO NATURAL HORIZON OR SURFACE REFERENCE WAS AVAILABLE. THE ELEVATION OF THE MOON WAS -43.7 DEGREES WITH 7% ILLUMINATION. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE CLIMB TO 125-300 FEET AGL ON A RIGHT CROSSWIND DEPARTURE AND LEVEL OFF. THE AIRPLANE MADE A LEFT TURN DESCENDING IN A 20 DEGREE NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE, RIGHT WING LOW, WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND COLLIDED WITH THE WATER.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 136 hours in all; 9 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 1990; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Naples Air Center, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: X01 Everglades City FL
- Destination: APF Naples FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:48 pm from APF, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.