Piper PA28-151 accident near Miami, Florida, August 29, 1991
On August 29, 1991, a Piper PA28-151, registered N41306, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE AIRPORT AGENT TO EXERCISE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING IN REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO RAIN RESULTING IN THE COLLISION BETWEEN THE AGENT'S TRUCK AND THE AIRCRAFT SHE WAS SEARCHING FOR WHICH HAD STOPPED ON THE TAXIWAY TO AWAIT ASSISTANCE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY TO CONTINUALLY MONITOR FOR ACCIDENTS AND VIOLATIONS THE DRIVING RECORDS OF EMPLOYEES WHO DRIVE ON THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1991
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-151 · all PA28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N41306 · registry record · serial 28-7415163
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT BECAME LOST AND STOPPED ON TAXIWAY TO AWAIT ASSISTANCE. GROUND CONTROL SENT RAMP AGENT TO FIND AND DIRECT FLIGHT. AS RAMP VEHICLE TRAVELED EAST ON TAXIWAY IN REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO RAIN AND DARKNESS, IT COLLIDED WITH THE LEFT REAR AREA OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE RAMP VEHICLE AND AIRCRAFT TRAVELED 350 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. THE PILOT THEN MOVED THE AIRCRAFT FORWARD ANOTHER 340 FEET TO AVOID A FIRE. THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE RAMP IS 20 MPH. THE RAMP AGENT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN PREVIOUS ACCIDENTS ON THE AIRPORT AND HAD MANY CITATIONS FOR DRIVING ON PUBLIC ROADS. THE RAMP AGENT HAD BEEN COUNSELED AFTER AN ACCIDENT IN JANUARY 1991 TO SLOW DOWN WHEN DRIVING AND NOT TO OVER DRIVE HER HEAD LIGHTS. THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY ONLY MONITORED EMPLOYEE DRIVER RECORDS FOR A SUSPENDED OR REVOKED LICENSE. IT DID NOT MONITOR FOR ACCIDENTS AND VIOLATIONS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,160 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,949 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1991; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gulf Aircraft Leasing, INC.
The flight
- Destination: Upper Captiva FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 020° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.