Cessna 172M N12182

Summary

On 22 December 2014 at about 16:50 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N12182, operated by Plane Cheap Rentals, was involved in an accident near South Bimini, Bahamas. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 December 2014 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

South Bimini, Bahamas

Nearest airport

South Bimini Airport (MYBS)

Coordinates

25.6906, -79.1597

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N12182

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Plane Cheap Rentals

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chub Cay → Fort Lauderdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA091

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, which resulted in a subsequent ditching in the ocean.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a personal overwater flight. The pilot reported that, while the airplane was in cruise flight at 10,500 ft mean sea level, the engine lost total power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and he subsequently ditched the airplane in the ocean about 5 miles from the nearest land mass. Search and rescue efforts were delayed about 2 hours after the airplane was reported overdue because air traffic control tower personnel erroneously reported that the airplane had arrived. The pilot, who was rescued about 3.5 hours after the ditching, sustained minor injuries. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Recovery personnel reported that the fuel tanks were unbreached and that an undetermined amount of fluid consistent with aviation gasoline was in the fuel tanks. However, no fuel was found in the fuel strainer or carburetor. It could not be determined how much fuel remained in the fuel system at the time of the ditching.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.