Piper PA34 N16281
17 July 2018 · Miami, Florida, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 July 2018 at about 16:59 local time, a Piper PA34 registered N16281, operated by Dean International Inc, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:59
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Miami, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 25.7578, -80.5569
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34
- Registration
- N16281
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1973
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Dean International Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Miami → Miami
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA18FA194
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of both pilots in both airplanes to see and avoid the other airplane as they converged nearly head-on at the same altitude.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A low-wing multiengine airplane departed the airport on an evaluation flight in the local training area with a commercial pilot candidate and designated pilot examiner onboard. The student pilot and a flight instructor onboard a high-wing airplane were returning to the same airport on a cross-country instructional flight. About 6 minutes after the low-wing airplane departed, the airplanes collided nearly straight-on about 1,500 ft mean sea level and 9 miles northwest of the airport. At the time, the low-wing airplane was clear of the Class D airspace and no longer communicating with air traffic control (ATC). One of the pilots in the high-wing airplane had contacted ATC just before the collision. The controller acknowledged the transmission and issued a traffic advisory, but no further communications were received. Neither airplane was equipped with a traffic information system, nor were they required to be. An aircraft performance and cockpit visibility study revealed that both airplanes would have remained relatively small, slow-moving objects in each other's windows until about 12 seconds before the collision, and subsequently grown in size suddenly; however, it is likely that none of the pilots saw the other airplane given that radar data does not indicate that either airplane performed evasive maneuvers to avoid the collision No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were identified with either airplane. Toxicology testing identified low levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and metabolites in the high-wing flight instructor's blood and urine. Their presence indicates that the instructor had used marijuana at some time before the accident, but it is unlikely that the psychoactive effects of THC remained or contributed to the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA34 200 | N16281 | Dean International Inc | Destroyed |
| Cessna 172 N | N6428D | Dean International Inc | Destroyed |
Other Piper PA34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 2018 | Piper PA34 | Uk, United Kingdom | - | Unknown | - |
| 8 Apr 2018 | Piper PA34-200T | La Pampa, Argentina | - | Unknown | - |
| 22 Aug 2018 | Piper PA34 | Loma Linda, Costa Rica | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Oct 2018 | Piper PA34 | Westhampton Beach, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 19 Feb 2018 | Piper PA34 | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Sep 2018 | Piper PA34 | Miami, Florida, United States | Wayman Flight Training | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Apr 2018 | Sasser Allen L SEAREY | Welaka, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2018 | Maule MX7 | Immokalee, Florida, United States | Ave Av Llc | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2018 | Beechcraft 35 | Mayport, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 2018 | Foxfly FOXDOMINATOR | Indiantown, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2018 | S Z D SZD 48 JANTAR STD 2 | LaBelle, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Dec 2018 | Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT | Punta Gorda, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |