- Date
- August 12, 1985, 18:39 local (22:39 UTC)
- Place
- Vieques, PR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N30232Cessna 177
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850812041989A
- Case key
- 31441
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
The CFI and student plt utilized a homemade dipstick to check the fuel tanks & determined they had about 8 gals of fuel in the tanks. About 30 minutes after takeoff the eng failed and all restart attempts were negative. The acft was ditchedin about 25 ft of water and not recovered. The plt broadcast a 'mayday' prior to impact & a military helicopter recovered the occupants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30232
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701137
- Airframe hours
- 1,365
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Victor Arocho
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 1985
- Departed
- MJFA · Fajardo, PR
- Destination
- MJVQ · Vieques, PR
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,935 total · 31 in this make and model · 2,715 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MNRR, 12 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.