ERA26LA007

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172 · Miami, FL · October 7, 2025

Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
October 7, 2025, 14:50 local (18:50 UTC)
Place
Miami, FL · 10 miles from nearest road in everglades
Injuries
1 minor, 1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N433PTCessna 172
Defining event
Maneuvering: Loss of engine power (partial)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA/FSDO
Case key
201814

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On October 07, 2025, at 1440 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N433PT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. The private pilot and the flight instructor were uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight was an instructional flight for the private pilot to practice commercial pilot maneuvers in preparation for the pilot's commercial check ride. The pilots departed from Miami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida and proceeded southwest to an area to perform the maneuvers. The pilots reported performing multiple chandelles and an accelerated stall. After completing the accelerated stall, the pilots performed a simulated emergency descent. After recovering about 550 ft above ground level, they began a climb out. The pilots reported that after climbing about 300 ft, the engine started to act “erratically” and there was a loss of about 500 rpm. The pilots stated that the airplane would not climb and then determined that a forced landing would be required. The pilots landed the airplane in a shallow-water area of the Florida Everglades; during the landing, the airplane flipped over. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the left wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

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.

Aircraft

Registration
N433PT
Reported as
Cessna 172 (M)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17263088
Built
1974
Airframe hours
12,251.1
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Pilot Training Center LLC
Registered owner
Pilot Training Center LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · September 3, 2025
Departed
TMB · Miami, FL
Equipment
ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device

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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
90° at 11 knots, gusting 19
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
88 °F, dew point 75 °F
Altimeter
29.90 inHg
Observed at
TMB, 12 nm away
METAR
METAR KTMB 071853Z AUTO 09011G19KT 10SM FEW029 31/24 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP123 T03110244=