- Date
- March 31, 1984
- Place
- Missing Acft, MS
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N44NCCessna 402B
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840331018249A
- Case key
- 30983
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
This Acft disappeared on a flt from ft lauderdale, FL to bimini, Bahamas. After departure, the Acft flt plan was activated by radio. This was the last communication with the Acft. An itap radar readout revealed an Acft flt that departed at the appropriate time. This target headed for bimini, & after about 10 min, slowed to 90 KTS airspeed. About 4 minutes later the target entered a 5400 fpm rate of descent and disappeared off radar. Two witnesses saw an Acft crash into the water near bimini between 0830 and 0900 on 3/31. The Missing Acft departed ft landerdale at 0823 on 3/31/84. The injury index & Acft damage are presumed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44NC
- Reported as
- Cessna 402B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402B0852
- Airframe hours
- 6,387
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Associated Air Service
- Registered owner
- Owen C. Bell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 19, 1984 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- FLL · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- MYBS · Bimini
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 1,510 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FLL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N44NC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.