Piper PA-31-350 accident near Orlando, Florida, November 12, 1993
On November 12, 1993 at about 11:29 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N27687, was destroyed in an accident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando Executive airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL FOR FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TO MAINTAIN VMC SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM THE LEFT ENGINE DUE TO PARTIAL BLOCKAGE OF SEVERAL OF THE FUEL INJECTOR NOZZLES. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS WEIGHT AND BALANCE EXCEEDED BY THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND AND INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE BY THE COMPANY AND BY THE FAA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 1993 · about 11:29 am local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N27687 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7852107
- 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
CARGO WAS NOT WEIGHED AND WEIGHT AND BALANCE CALCULATIONS WERE NOT PERFORMED. THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 321 POUNDS OVER GROSS. WHILE TAXIING, A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING BLACK SMOKE TRAILING THE LEFT ENGINE WHICH HAD BEEN WORKED ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. 2 CYLINDERS WERE WORKED ON AND A FUEL INJECTOR NOZZLE WAS CLEANED. THE CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF WAS 'LOW AND SLOW' DURING WHICH THE AIRPLANE ROLLED LEFT, PITCHED NOSE DOWN, AND IMPACTED THE GROUND COMING TO REST ADJACENT TO A HOUSE. EXAMINATION OF EACH ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF INTERNAL MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. HEAT DAMAGE PRECLUDED TESTING OF THE MAGNETOS, TURBOCHARGER COMPONENTS, AND FUEL SERVOS OF EACH ENGINE. EXAMINATION OF EACH PROPELLER REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE FUEL NOZZLES FROM THE LEFT ENGINE WERE EXAMINED WHICH REVEALED THAT THEY WERE BLOCKED IN VARIOUS PLACES DUE TO CONTAMINANTS. AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE FAA PERFORMED A FOCUSED INSPECTION OF THE OPERATOR REVEALING THAT THE CARGO WAS NOT BEING WEIGHED, THE CHIEF PILOT OF THE COMPANY WAS IN NAME ONLY, AND LOAD MANIFESTS WERE NOT BEING KEPT BY THE COMPANY.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,465 hours in all; 69 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,393 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 30, 1993; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Cherokee Express, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORL at 11:27 am
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 7, 5,998 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 010° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:40 am from ORL, 225 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.