Piper PA-28-160 accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, April 8, 1995
On April 8, 1995 at about 1:11 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5718W, was destroyed in an accident near St. Petersburg, Florida (Albert Whitted Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO EXTEND WING FLAPS AND MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE ON APPROACH TO LAND RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT STALL, SPIN, AND UNCONTROLLED DESCENT UNTIL COLLISION WITH A RESIDENCE AND THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1995 · about 1:11 pm local time
- Place
- St. Petersburg, Florida · Albert Whitted Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5718W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1225
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT ENTERED THE TAMPA TERMINAL CONTROL AREA WITHOUT CLEARANCE. THE FLIGHT ENTERED THE ALBERT WHITTED AIRPORT CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLEARANCE AND WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT MADE CONTACT WITH ALBERT WHITTED TOWER CONTROLLERS AND WAS CLEARED TO ENTER DOWNWIND AND LAND ON RUNWAY 06. WITNESSES SAW THE AIRCRAFT ON BASE LEG TO RUNWAY 06. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW, A LITTLE ABOVE TREE TOPS, AND THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE AT A SLOW SPEED. ENGINE POWER SUDDENLY INCREASED AND THE RIGHT WING AND NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE AND THE GROUND. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED THE WING FLAPS WERE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AIRFRAME, FLIGHT CONTROL, OR ENGINE MALFUNCTION. NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE PILOT INCAPACITATION WAS FOUND BY THE MEDICAL EXAMINER.
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: 413 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 215 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,295 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1995; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OBE Okeechobee FL at 12:00 pm
- Destination: SPG
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,702 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:12 pm from SPG, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.