MIA02FA059

A witness observed the airplane's lights, and heard the engine at full power after the airplane departed the runway. He saw the airplane turned left, at an angle of about 45 degrees, and then descend into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 1/4 mile from the airport. Witnesses described the weather as a dark night, with no stars visible, patches of fog, and light haze existed over the water. Recovery personnel reported seeing fog at the crash site about 1 hour after the accident. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any discrepancies with either the airframe, engine, engine components, or propeller.

History of flight

On February 10, 2002, about 2000 eastern standard time, a Cessna TR182, N5136S, owned by Flying Professionals Inc., and operated by an individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed into the water's of the Gulf of Mexico, shortly after takeoff from the Cedar Key Airport, Cedar Key, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial-rated pilot and three passengers received fatal injuries. The flight was originating at the time, and was en route to Gainesville, Florida.

The airplane had departed Gainesville at 1630, that same day, with four persons on board for the flight to Cedar Key, in order for the occupants to have dinner at a restaurant. The occupants ate dinner at the restaurant and, according to employees at the restaurant; the pilot did not consume alcohol. The occupants returned to the airport by taxi around 1945.

A witness, who was an airport resident and a pilot, stated that he observed the airplane's navigation lights, and heard the engine "...with full power sound," after the airplane departed the runway. He stated "...at an altitude of approximately 150 feet, the airplane made an abrupt left descending turn of about 45 degrees." The witness also pointed out a memorial located at the end of runway 23, which had been placed there after a 1980 aircraft accident, that warned pilots that a horizon "will not be present" during a night takeoff to the west.

An NTSB Air Traffic Control/Operational Factors investigator requested radar data. He reported that he had obtained long-range radar data for February 10-11, 2002, to attempt to identify N5136S after departure from Cedar Key. The Cross City, Florida, radar was the closest site to the accident, and had recorded no targets other than occasional spurious primary reflections during the time period surrounding the accident.

Personnel information

The pilot, held an FAA commercial pilot certificate, with airplane single engine land, and airplane instrument, initially issued on August 23, 1999. FAA records showed that the pilot updated his pilot's certificate on October 18, 1999. The pilot held an FAA class 2 medical certificate issued on November 11, 2000, with the limitations "must wear corrective lenses, and possess glasses for near and interim vision." The pilot received a biennial flight review, as required by 14 CFR Part 61, on January 26, 2001.

The pilot's personal flight logbooks were not found. As per entries on the pilot's insurance application, dated November 15, 2001, he had accumulated a total of 1,059.1 total flight hours, all single engine flight hours, and 306.5 hours in this make and model aircraft. There were no records found to indicate the number of instrument or night flight hours that the pilot had accumulated at the time of the accident.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a Cessna; model TR 182, serial number R18201508, manufactured in 1980. The owner at the time of the accident, the Flying Professionals, Inc., had purchased the airplane on August 6, 1996. At the time of the accident the airplane had accumulated 2,407.1 total flight hours. An annual inspection was performed on the airplane and engine on June 14, 2001, 149 hours before the accident. The airplane was equipped with one Lycoming O-540-L3C5D engine, serial number L-22308-40A, rated at 235 horsepower. According to the engine logbook, the engine was put in service October 17, 1980. According to the maintenance records the last static pressure/instrument check as required by FAR 43, was completed on June 14, 2001.

Examination of the aircraft/engine maintenance records revealed that the current time in service of the engine was 2,407.1 hours. According to the Textron Lycoming Service Instruction 1009AQ, dated January 12, 2001, the recommended time before overhaul (TBO) for O-540-L3C5D engines is 2,000 hours. The airplane's propeller was manufactured by McCauley, model B2D34C219/90DHB, and the serial number was 7910457. Aviation Propellers, Inc., of Orlando, Florida, overhauled the propeller and it was installed during the annual inspection, on June 14. 2001.

Meteorological information

The nearest weather station to the accident site was located at the Cedar Key Airport, field elevation 7 feet msl, located about 030 degrees at 1/4 nautical mile from the accident location. The reported weather at 1953 was; winds 230 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky condition; clear; temperature 16 degrees Celsius; dew point 12 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.16 inches hg.

According to the taxi driver who drove the airplane's occupants to and from the restaurant, when they returned to the airport it was a dark night, with no stars visible, and patches of fog existed over the water. In addition, a pilot at the airport, who saw the airplane before it crashed stated it was a "dark" night, with "light haze" over the water. Recovery personnel reported seeing fog at the crash site about 1 hour after the accident.

Wreckage and impact information

The aircraft crashed about 1/4 mile southwest of the departure runway into the water's of the Gulf of Mexico. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness, and the wreckage was located at N29 degrees, 07.476 minutes, W083 degrees, 03.621 minutes. The Levy County Sheriff's Department initially recovered the engine, instrument panel, aft cabin and tailcone. The wings were later recovered and taken by the salvage company to Atlanta, Georgia. The front seats and surrounding structure were not recovered. The rear bench seat was located.

Examination of the airframe parts that were recovered revealed that the Sheriff's Department had to pull the recovered sections of the airplane across the ocean floor about 2 miles to a boat ramp. The sections included the engine, with the nose landing gear and instrument panel attached, the tailcone and empennage, and the rear bench seat, including the lower fuselage structure and gear actuators.

After removal of the airplane from the water it was transported to the Cedar Key Airport. An examination of the fuselage revealed no evidence of fire. The engine cowlings, the cabin overhead and the fuselage belly, from the firewall to the aft doorposts, were not recovered.

The wings were later examined at the salvage dealer's property in Atlanta. The examination revealed that the left and right aileron cables were found attached to the bellcrank. The ailerons had remained attached to the wings. The flaps had also remained attached to the wings, and the flap actuator was found retracted.

Flight controls and aerodynamic surface control cable continuity was not established due to fuselage and cable separations. The rudder cables were confirmed attached at their ends. The elevator cables and push/pull tubes were attached at the elevator bellcrank. The cables were also attached forward at the control tube and arm assemblies.

The empennage remained attached to the tailcone. The horizontal stabilizer and elevator displayed impact damage. The elevator was pushed downward beyond its normal limits during the tow through the water.

The examination of the engine revealed that it was intact and no external discrepancies were observed. The propeller was found attached to the engine crankshaft flange, and the engine was attached to the firewall. Fuel system lines and hoses displayed impact damage. The engine mounts and control cables displayed impact damage and deformation.

Partial disassembly of the engine revealed that residual fuel was found within the engine driven fuel pump and carburetor. A lighted borescope was used to examine the engine top and components. The borescope examination revealed no discrepancies. The engine's crankshaft was rotated, and internal gear and valve train continuity was established. Compression was noted on all six cyli