NTSB MIA87LA018 — 1986-10-31 · FT. PIERCE, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N8969C

Make / Model: PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture: 1976 · 10 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19760217
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AC5F34

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N8969C Piper PA-28-181 None

Factual narrative

A USCG HELICOPTER HAD LANDED ON RWY 4 MOMENTS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AND HAD CLEARED THE RWY. THE HELICOPTER HAD ADVISED THE ACFT ON UNICOM FREQUENCY OF HIS INTENT TO LAND. THE ACFT ADVISED THE HELICOPTER THAT HE HAD HIM IN SIGHT AND WOULD FOLLOW HIM IN. THE HELICOPTER OFFERED TO 'SIDE STEP' AND ALLOW THE ACFT TO LAND FIRST. THE OFFER WAS DECLINED. THE ACFT PILOT STATED THAT HE SAW THE HELICOPTER OVER THE RWY ABOUT 1/2 MI AHEAD OF HIM & HAD CONSIDERED GOING AROUND, BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT SINCE HE, THE PILOT, WAS IN 'SMOOTH AIR'. DURING THE FLARE, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1986_MIA87LA018.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.