- Date
- July 26, 2025, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Destin, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N594BAIcon A5
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250726021649A
- Case key
- 202660
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, and improper in-flight decision making which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he departed for a planned 1 hour flight with 8 gallons of fuel indicated on the fuel gauges, and that the airplane’s fuel consumption averaged 4 gallons per hour. About 1 hour into the flight, and approximately 10 miles from the destination, the engine began to sputter, followed shortly thereafter by a total loss of engine power. The pilot informed air traffic control that he was running out of fuel and made a forced landing in the water about 1 mile short of his destination, which resulted in substantial damage to airplane’s hull and engine pylon. The amphibious airplane was capable of water operations; however, the pilot did not hold a seaplane rating. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and attributed the loss of engine power to fuel exhaustion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N594BA
- Reported as
- Icon A5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 00134
- Built
- 2021
- Airframe hours
- 332.4
- Engine
- Rotax 912ISC, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 6, 2025 · 132 hours before
- Departed
- JKA · Gulf Shores, AL
- Destination
- DTS · Destin, FL
- Airport
- DTS · Destin Exec, runway 14, 5,001 × 32 ft
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Airframe parachute, Angle of attack indicator
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 234 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 3015.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DTS
- METAR
- METAR KDTS 261753Z 16007KT 10SM CLR 31/26 A3015
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.