- Date
- September 18, 1984, 08:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Boca Raton, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N143DDouglas DC3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840918052349A
- Case key
- 31016
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
Four hours and forty mins after takeoff aprx 6 miles from the dest aprt, both engs stopped running. Attempts to restart the engs were unsuccessful. Thinking they were out of fuel, the crew accomplished a forced landing in a wildlife refuge in 10 ft tall sawgrass. As the acft decelerated the left eng struck a submerged stump separating the eng from the wing. Prior to departure all three fuel tanks, 200 gal capacity each, were filled. Upon recovery the right main and aux tank were empty but 150 gals remained in the left tank. Investigation revealed no mechanical malfunctions in the acft fuel system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N143D
- Reported as
- Douglas DC3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2054
- Airframe hours
- 45,612
- Engine
- P&W 1830, 1,200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Academy Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Academy Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 12, 1984 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- HVS · Huntsville, AL
- Destination
- BCT · Boca Raton, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BCT · Boca Raton Fl
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 650 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 8 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.
Other investigations on N143D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.