Piper PA-23-250 accident near Fruitland Park, Florida, April 26, 1998
On April 26, 1998 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N154CH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fruitland Park, Florida (Flying Palomino Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to attain the proper rate of descent at touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1998 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fruitland Park, Florida · Flying Palomino Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N154CH · registry record · serial 27-7305191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a report of a normal touchdown on the grass runway, the right main landing gear fork and rod assembly failed. The right wing dropped, contacted the runway, and the airplane veered to the right and collided with obstructions. Metallurgical examination of the failed fork and rod assembly, and AN bolt, revealed that the fork failed due to overstress and the bolt failed in shear. No preexisting cracks were noted in the failed fork or bolt.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,018 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 930 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,027 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 6:15 pm
- Destination: 5X1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from LEE, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA98LA145.