- Date
- September 20, 1989, 22:00 local (Sep 21, 1989, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ochopee, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N47009Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890920035909A
- Case key
- 32310
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain altitude/clearance over the terrain. Related factors were: dark night, spatial disorientation of the pilot, and his lack of experience in the type of operation (night flying).
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 plt had received his private plt certificate 5 days earlier. He took off with a friend at night for a flt over the everglades. When operations personnel realized the acft had not returned, a search was initiated. On 9/22/89, the acft was found where it had crashed in the everglades national park. There was evidence the acft had impacted in a slight nose down, left bank attitude. It was extensively damaged drg impact & the main wreckage traveled about 120 yds before coming to rest. Both prop blades were curled & contained chordwise scratches. No preimpact mechanical problem was found. The plt had logged a total of 4.2 hrs of night time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47009
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 152-83156
- Airframe hours
- 2,600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Goldcoast Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 1989 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- HWO · Hollywood, 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 104 total · 104 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 21 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 N47009 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.