Amateur-built TIAFUN 17E accident near Pensacola, Florida, January 12, 1998
On January 12, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built TIAFUN 17E, registered N16MA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pensacola, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision and failure to see-and-avoid an obstruction during a precautionary landing on a paved road. Factors relating to the accident were: the resultant low fuel condition, and an obstruction in the precautionary landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TIAFUN 17E
- Registration
- N16MA · registry record · serial 1039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a navigational error during a cross-country flight (misidentification of a landmark), which resulted in a low fuel condition. He made a precautionary landing on a paved road in a housing subdivision. During the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a fence post, veered to the right, and nosed down. During the occurrence, the engine assembly separated from the airframe.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,276 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 9,256 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Limbach L2000EB1.B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNA Pensacola FL
- Destination: 82J Ferguson FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from PNA
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N16MA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Limbach L2000EB1.B 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ralph Wenz Field · departed from
- Roscoe Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 987 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA98LA059.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.