- Date
- October 2, 1991, 20:20 local (Oct 3, 1991, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Everglades City, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N758JNCessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32997
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 pilot-in-command's improper management of fuel. This resulted in the airplane experiencing fuel exhaustion, forced landing, and in flight collision with terrain.
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 civil air patrol private pilot and aerial observer departed on a public use flight in VFR conditions. The flight was diverted by cap ground personnel to assist in locating a boat in distress. The cap pilot located the boat and remained overhead, while cap ground personnel notified the us coast guard. USCG aircraft were dispatched to the scene and established radio contact with the cap aircraft. The cap pilot informed the USCG that fuel was critical en route to marco. No further radio contact was established. The destroyed airplane was located 15 days later. Both crewmembers were killed. Examination of the airframe, flight control system, propeller system, engine and accessories revealed no evidence to indicated a precrash failure of malfunction. Neither fuel tank was ruptured and no fuel was present.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N758JN
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1723134
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-GBC-KB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public use
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol, Inc.
- Departed
- MKY · Marco Island, FL
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,025 total · 1,025 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- APF, 20 nm away