At about 1148 eastern time, a Piper PA-23-160 crashed in a residential area while returning to land at West Palm Beach County Park Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot contacted Palm Beach Approach shortly after taking off from Lantana and requested flight following to Everglades City. Shortly after this the pilot reported that he needed to return to Lantana. Shortly after this the pilot transmitted on the Unicom frequency that he was 4 miles southwest of the airport, inbound for landing on one engine. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane on downwind abeam the end of runway 27 at about 400 feet. The airplane then turned base leg for runway 27 and continued to lose altitude. The pilot then overshot the turn to final while at an altitude of about 100-150 feet. The bank angle increased to 50-60 degrees and the nose of the airplane dropped.
January 22, Lake Worth, Fla. / Piper Apache
At about 1148 eastern time, a Piper PA-23-160 crashed in a residential area while returning to land at West Palm Beach County Park Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot contacted Palm Beach Approach shortly after taking off from Lantana and requested flight following to Everglades City. Shortly after this the pilot reported that he needed to return to Lantana. Shortly after this the pilot transmitted on the Unicom frequency that he was 4 miles southwest of the airport, inbound for landing on one engine. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane on downwind abeam the end of runway 27 at about 400 feet. The airplane then turned base leg for runway 27 and continued to lose altitu...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-23-160 crashed in a residential area near West Palm Beach County Park Airport, resulting in two fatalities.
- The pilot had reported an engine issue and was attempting to return for an emergency landing on one engine.
- Witnesses observed the aircraft losing altitude during the approach, overshooting the final turn, and entering a steep bank before the nose dropped, leading to the crash.
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