- Date
- December 11, 1983, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Everglades City, FL
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N704TTemco Raley D-16A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831211060499A
- Case key
- 30956
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Power was lost on both engs shortly after takeoff. The plt attempted to turn towards the shoreline & land in an open field but was unable to do so. The acft collided with the water while in a left bank & cartwheeled. The fuel line between the main fuel tank sump & the left fuel selector was ruptured. The main fuel tank & sump were void of fuel. A witness at the arpt stated that he observed fuel leaking from the acft bottom center section while the acft was on the ground. The main fuel tank is the 'common fuel source' for both engs when both fuel selectors are positioned to the main tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704T
- Reported as
- Temco Raley D-16A (RALEY D-16)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TTN-73
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-340-A1A, 170 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Melvin E. Schwartz
- Registered owner
- Gary Schwartz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 1983 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- XO1 · Everglades, FL
- Destination
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Airport
- XOI · Everglades, runway 15, 2,400 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 200 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 16 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Observed at
- APF, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.