Piper PA-28-161 accident near Bunnell, Florida, November 29, 1990
On November 29, 1990, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N174ER, was destroyed in an accident near Bunnell, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, WHILE MANEUVERING AT NIGHT OVER AN UNLIGHTED AREA, WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH TREES. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND POSSIBLE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT DUE TO LACK OF VISUAL QUES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1990
- Place
- Bunnell, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N174ER · no longer on the register · serial 2841213
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF AT NIGHT, THE PLT WAS FOLLOWING A VFR PROCEDURE, WHICH TOOK THE ACFT OVER A DARK UNLIGHTED AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED ABOUT 8 MI FROM THE ARPT, WHILE IN A SHALLOW DESCENT. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST 578 FEET PAST THE INITIAL TREE IMPACT POINT. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. THE PLT HAD ACCUMULATED 12 HRS OF NIGHT FLYING TIME. HIS PREVIOUS NIGHT FLT WAS 106 DAYS BEFORE THE ACDNT.
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: 158 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 62 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,693 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 26, 1990; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.