# Accident 19981208046159A: Cessna 402B, Pahokee, FL, December 8, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 8, 1998, 19:02 local time
- Place: Pahokee, FL
- Airport: Palm Beach Co Glades Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: B5MA
- Location: 26.8099° N, 80.6592° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.8099&lon=-80.6592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N788SP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N788SP-2002-09-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 402B (registry code 207590P, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-402b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 402B
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO520E
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 1,440 total, 8 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99FA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99FA043) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981208046159A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FORT LAUDERDALE'S EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (FX E) AT ABOUT 1833 ON A NORTHWESTERLY HEADING FOR THE CO-LOCATED PAHOKEE VOR/AIRPORT (PHK) ON THE SECOND TRAINING SESSION OF THE DAY FOR THE 2 FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS. THIS PARTICULAR FLIGHT HAD A DUAL PURPOSE, IN THAT THE LEFT SEAT OCCUPANT/NEW-HIRE WAS GETTING A 'PRE-CHECK RIDE' BY THE RIGHT SEAT OCCUPANT/INSTRUCTOR/PIC, AND THE INSTRUCTOR WAS BEING OBSERVED BY THE AIR TAXI'S DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS IN ANTICIPATION OF AN ENDORSEMENT FOR AN FAA DESIGNATION AS A COMPANY CHECK AIRMAN. THE FLIGHT WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH ANY ATC FACILITY AND WAS SQUAWKING A TRANSPONDER CODE CONSISTENT WITH NON-CONTROLLED, VMC FLIGHT. AT 1902, THE MIAMI ARTCC LOST RADAR CONTACT AT THE 334 DEGREE RADIAL/12 NMI FROM THE PHK VOR AT 1,300 FEET AGL. EIGHT DAYS LATER, THE WRECKAGE WITH ITS 3 OCCUPANTS STILL INSIDE, WAS LOCATED AND RECOVERED FROM THE LAKE BOTTOM. THE LOCATION ROUGHLY CORRESPONDS WITH THE RADIAL OF THE PHK VOR THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE TRACKED WHILE PERFORMING THE VOR RUNWAY 17 APPROACH. THE WRECKAGE WAS INTACT EXCEPT FOR 2 NACELLE DOORS, THE NOSE CONE, AND THE LEFT PROPELLER, AND REVEALED NO ENGINE, AIRFRAME, OR COMPONENT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A BIRDSTRIKE. EVIDENCE REVEALED THAT BOTH ENGINES WERE DEVELOPING POWER AND THE AIRPLANE WAS WINGS LEVEL IN THE APPROACH CONFIGURATION AND ATTITUDE AT WATER CONTACT. (-23)ITEM 21A AND 21B-DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A LAKE (LAKE OKEECHOBEE), AND THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED YET, ANY TECHNICAL OR OPERATIONAL FACTORS THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH CAN NOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA99FA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99FA043), Dec 9, 1998: Cessna 402B (N788SP), Pahokee, FL, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude during the approach.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.