MIA89FA210
1989-08-02 · SARASOTA, Florida, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport SRQ
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER HUB DUE TO PREVIOUS DAMAGE, WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSEQUENT FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE HUB; AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND SUBSEQUENT IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE/INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER HUB (AFTER THE PROPELLER STRIKES) WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Factual narrative
WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT CLIMB TO AN ALT OF ABOUT 500 TO 800 FT AGL AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RWY 32. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THEY HEARD A LOUD NOISE FM THE ACFT, THEN THEY NOTED THAT THE ENG SOUND HAD CEASED. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO MANEUVER AS IF THE PLT WAS TRYING TO RETURN TO THE RWY. THE PLT TRANSMITTED A 'MAYDAY' REPORT, STATING HE HAD 'LOST THE ENGINE.' WHILE TURNING BACK TO THE RWY, THE LEFT WING & NOSE OF THE ACFT DROPPED & THE PLANE ENTERED A LEFT DSCNDG TURN. IT IMPACTED THE GND IN A NR FLAT ATTITUDE WHILE IN A HIGH RATE OF DSCNT, THEN IT SLID INTO A TREE & BURNED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED 1 PROP BLADE HAD SEPD FM THE HUB DRG FLT. A METALLURGICAL EXAM SHOWED THE HUB HAD FAILED FM FATIGUE. DRG THE PREVIOUS 87 HRS OF OPN, THE ACFT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN TWO OCCURRENCES OF GEAR COLLAPSE, WHICH RESULTED IN PROP STRIKES WITH THE GND. ACCORDING TO RECORDS, THE HUB WAS INSPECTED & FOUND TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MANUFACTURER (MCCAULEY) & THE FAA. THE PLT'S PREVIOUS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE/MODEL OF ACFT WAS NOT DETERMINED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_MIA89FA210.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, maintenance). All research papers
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The aerospace industry is competing with other industries for a qualified workforce, and many of those competing industries are investing heavily in creating workforce development pipelines.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA) From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- Semantic Scholar 2026 · Article (Reliability Engineering & System Safety) Understanding human error in military aviation maintenance: The role of Performance shaping factors, cognitive workload and error orientation
- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences) Decision-Making Framework for Aviation Safety in Predictive Maintenance Strategies
The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Semantic Scholar 2024 · Article (Defence Science Journal) Modelling of Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance Using HFACS ME Human Factors Analysis and Classification System Maintenance Extension and Bayesian Network
Aircraft maintenance is a complex task involving a skilled human workforce, spare parts, and various other resources. Human factors are an inherent element of the human workforce.