Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, July 20, 2002
On July 20, 2002 at about 10:00 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N9738C, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot continued VFR flight into IMC and thunderstorm conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2002 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N9738C · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7885071
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot encountered level 4 thunderstorms and collided into the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles west of Freeport, Bahamas. There were no records of weather briefings made to the pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to the accident. According to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center, the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 4700 feet when radio and radar contact was lost. During the subsequent search for the missing airplane, the Coast Guard recovered three occupants and about 300 pounds of aircraft wreckage/debris.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 280 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 30, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,622 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2002; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYFG Freeport at 9:35 am
- Destination: PBI Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from PBI, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.