Cessna 172N N4851D

Summary

On 8 October 1994 at about 14:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N4851D was involved in an accident near Ochopee, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 October 1994 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ochopee, Florida, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N4851D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Naples → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA95FA004

3 people died.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE MANEUVERING RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT STALL AND AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT UNTIL IMPACT IN A SWAMP.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

FLIGHT WAS BEING OPERATED FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING TELEMETRY INFORMATION FROM FLORIDA PANTHERS WHO WERE EQUIPPED WITH RADIO COLLARS. THE FLIGHT WAS OBSERVED TO APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHEAST AND CIRCLE THREE TIMES TO THE RIGHT WHILE AT A SLOW AIRSPEED AND LOW ALTITUDE. THE FLIGHT THEN HEADED SOUTHEAST AND DESCENDED TO TREE TOP LEVEL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN NOSED UP INTO A STEEP CLIMB AND THE RIGHT WING AND NOSE DROPPED DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED NOSE DOWN AND IMPACTED IN THE SWAMP. NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE PRECRASH FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROLS OR ENGINE WAS FOUND AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THIS WAS THE PILOT'S FIRST PANTHER TRACKING FLIGHT. THE PILOT HAD BEEN BRIEFED NOT TO GO BELOW 500 FEET AND TO WATCH HIS AIRSPEED AND USE FLAPS WHEN AT SLOW SPEEDS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.