Piper PA-28-235 accident near Okeechobee, Florida, January 16, 1997
On January 16, 1997 at about 12:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N712DB, was destroyed in an accident near Okeechobee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the noninstrument-rated pilot's decision to conduct a VFR flight into instrument meteorological flight conditions. The weather was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1997 · about 12:55 pm local time
- Place
- Okeechobee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N712DB · no longer on the register · serial 28-10604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot departed on a VFR flight in instrument flight conditions. Witnesses observed the airplane flying towards their location below the tree line following a creek. The ceiling was estimated at about 200 feet, patchy ground fog, with limited forward visibility. The airplane was observed to pitch up in about a 45-degree nose high attitude prior to reaching a levee. The airplane made a steep right turn estimated at a 90-degree angle of bank. The right wingtip collided with a tree separating the right wing tip. The airplane cartwheeled about its longitudinal axis to the left colliding with trees and terrain inverted.
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: 340 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,640 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1996; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OBE at 12:53 pm
- Destination: SEF Sebring FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from VRB, 39 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.