- Date
- February 3, 1989, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Key West, FL
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N99YWaco YMF
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890203002519A
- Case key
- 32392
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
The inability of the plt to maintain control after encountering his own wake turbulence at a low altitude during a steep turning maneuver.
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 stated they had just passed over a school of dolphin while on a sightseeing flt over water at about 100 ft. he reversed course to the left in order to return to the fish & while in the turn the acft rolled abruptly to the left. Acft rolled into a vert bank & the acft hit the water inverted & sank in about 12 ft of water. The plt stated that he had observed a C-130 type acft flying in the area at approx 800 ft just before the accident. The plt stated that he & his wife recalled he had been making a low steep bank over the water and he recalled gravity forces pressing them down into the seat during the turn. They had completed the 1st steep turn and were in the 2nd bank of about 90 degs when a 'gust' was felt & the next thing they knew, they hit the water upside down. Neither pax recalled seeing any other acft in the area. One pax stated that he had some previous flt time including solo.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99Y
- Reported as
- Waco YMF
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F-5-002
- Airframe hours
- 1,402
- Engine
- Jacobs R-755-B2M, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Conch Classic Air Tours
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 2, 1989 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- FYW · Key West, 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 11,500 total · 500 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYW, 15 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 N99Y · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.