MIA05LA158

A witness stated that she watched the airplane take off and fly overhead, and heard the engine "sputtering and dying." According to the witness, the engine sputtered and ceased operating about two or three times, and then she saw it turn and go behind some trees. She said she then heard two loud back to back noises, and believing that the airplane had crashed, she telephoned 911. An official with the Osceola County Sheriff's office said that the airplane impacted trees and came to rest inverted, and a fire had ensued, which enveloped and consumed the airplane. Representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company as well as Teledyne Continental Motors inspected the wreckage under the supervision of an FAA inspector, and no evidence of precrash anomalies were noted.

History of flight

On September 16, 2005, about 1813 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172C, N1814Y, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while departing from Gator Airpark Stolport Airport, Lake Gentry Estates, Saint Cloud, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

A witness stated that she and her daughter were walking in the woods, and they watched the airplane take off and fly over the top of them. She said as soon as the airplane passed overhead, she heard it start "sputtering and dying", and she knew something was wrong. According to the witness, the engine sputtered and ceased operating two or three times at the most, and she saw the airplane turn and go behind some trees. She said she then heard two loud back-to-back noises, and believing that the airplane crashed, she telephoned 911. According to the witness, the airplane had not been flying previously, and that its total duration in the air had been short, with an elapsed time of about a minute from takeoff, until it crashed

Upon receiving a report of the accident, responders arrived at the scene, and according to an official with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the airplane was noted to have come to rest inverted after having collided with trees, and a hot fire had ensued, which enveloped and consumed the airplane. According to the official, the fire had burned the entire airplane, and made its identification difficult. A friend of both the pilot and passenger, upon being informed of the crash, came to the scene, and assisted in identification of the airplane, based upon seeing a section of the airplane's wing tip, and strut, in the burnt wreckage. The friend also provided a statement saying that at the airport, prior to the flight, he had observed the pilot/owner enter the accident airplane on the pilot side, and the passenger enter the airplane on his respective side, and that they both had departed together for a pleasure flight.

Personnel information

Records obtained from the FAA showed that the pilot had been issued a private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating on April 8, 1973, and had last made an application for a third class medical certificate on May 20, 2003. At the time of the application he had reported accumulating 1,500 hours total flight experience, had been restricted to being required to use corrective lenses while exercising his pilot privileges. Prior to his last application for a medical, the FAA data showed that he had reported having made a previous application for a medical certificate on January 1, 1995. At the time of the accident FAA records did not show that the pilot possessed a medical certificate.

Aircraft information

N1814Y is a 1962 model Cessna 172 C, serial number 17249414, which according to FAA records was registered to and operated by the pilot/owner. Airplane records were never obtained by the NTSB, and the airplanes airworthiness was not be verified

Meteorological information

Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida, 1853 surface weather observation was few clouds at 7,500 feet, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet, visibility 7 statute miles, wind variable at 3 knots, temperature 32 degrees C, dewpoint temperature 16 degrees C, altimeter setting 30.01 inHg. The Orlando International Airport is located about 19 miles north of the accident site.

Wreckage and impact information

The onscene examination revealed that the airplane's fuselage, cabin, and instrument panel, with associated instrumentation, switches, and controls, had all been enveloped in the postcrash fire. The entire cabin and fuselage, to include the right wing, the tail section and a portion of the left wing had been consumed by fire. The flight control cables were traced to their respective areas where the flight control surfaces ad burned in-situ, and flight control continuity had been established. The flap setting could not be ascertained due to the fire damage. The left wing tank had been breached, and no fuel was found in the tanks. The left fuel tank cap when opened revealed a small amount of oily material.

The fire had also consumed the engine crankcase and accessories, however engine continuity was observed based upon the parts that remained, from the rear of the engine, to the propeller flange and to each piston. The propeller had separated from the crankshaft, and one blade was bent aft at about the midspan, and the other had partially burned.

On September 26, 2006, technicians from Cessna Aircraft Company, and Teledyne Continental Motors, under the supervision of an FAA inspector, visited the Osceola County Sheriff's Office aircraft hangar, in Kissimmee, Florida, and examined the remaining burnt airplane wreckage, which had been recovered from the accident scene. During the follow-on examination, the extensive fire damage was documented, and no precrash anomalies were noted with the fire damaged parts that had remained.

Medical and pathological information

On September 17, 2005, a medical examiner with the District 9 Medical Examiner's Office, Orlando, Florida, performed postmortem examinations of the pilot and passenger. The pilot's cause of death was attributed to "complications of airplane crash with postcrash fire." In addition the medical examiner listed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a contributory factor.

Wuesthoff Reference Laboratory, Melbourne, Florida performed toxicological studies on specimens obtained from the pilot. Specimens were tested for drugs, and volatiles. Caffeine was found to be present in blood, and diltiazem and diltiazem metabolites was found to be present in urine. In addition, the FAA Toxicological Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological studies on samples obtained from the pilot. The specimens were tested for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs. Diltiazen was found in blood, and in urine.

Tests and research

No fuel was found in either tank, and a dark colored oily substance was noted around the inside of the left wing fuel cap, Panair laboratory, Miami, Florida, conducted an analysis of the substance. The substance was consistent with Fleet Supplies Fleet Lube Compound, which is used as a gasket and thread sealing compound in the fuel industry.