Piper PA-24-260 accident near Missing, Florida, April 24, 1991
On April 24, 1991 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8938P, was destroyed in an accident near Missing, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 1991 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Missing, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8938P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4394
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DID NOT OBTAIN A WX BRIEFING OR FILE A FLT PLAN BEFORE DEPARTURE. HE HAD A MEETING PLANNED FOR LATER THAT EVENING. REVIEW OF RECORDED FAA ATC CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PLT REVEALED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF CLEARANCE WAS RECEIVED, NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED. THE FLT FAILED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE ACFT HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED. REVIEW OF THE AIRFRAME & ENG LOGBOOKS REVEALED THAT THE PLT/OWNER PERFORMED PREVENTATIVE MAINT BEYOND THE SCOPE & INTENT OF THE REGULATION. ACCORDING TO CIVIL AIR PATROL PERSONNEL, THE ACFT WAS SPOTTED 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE AT AN ARPT LOCATED 9 NAUTICAL MILES SSE OF THE DEPARTURE ARPT, PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE ACFT THEN DEPARTED TO THE NW. SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN 4, 26, & 56 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF SHOW NO SIGNIFICANT WX IN THE AREA.
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: 2,310 hours in all; 1,125 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 2,184 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: MLB Melbourne FL at 8:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 pm from MLB, 1 miles away
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.