Cessna T182T accident near Naples, Florida, June 20, 2005
On June 20, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna T182T, registered N53538, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naples, Florida (Naples Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot continued flight into known thunderstorm activity that resulted in the loss of control and the subsequent collision with water. A factor was the controller's failure to provide the pilot with convective intensity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Naples, Florida · Naples Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T182T · all T182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N53538 · no longer on the register · serial T18208199
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed Naples Municipal Airport on a cross-country flight to Key West International Airport. The pilot was cleared to 5000 feet by Fort Myers Approach and instructed to contact Miami air traffic control center. The controller transmitted alerts for convective SIGMETs in the vicinity of the flight. The controller cleared the pilot to descend to 4,000 feet and issued the Key West altimeter setting. The pilot requested direct Key West and stated that he believed he could stay outside the warning areas. The controller approved the pilot's request direct Key West, but again told the pilot that if he needed to deviate for weather he could, however, the controller did not provide the pilot with available convective intensity level information. The controller made several attempts to reestablish contact with the pilot and was unsuccessful. According to recorded radar data, the airplane entered an area of heavy thunderstorms. Review of radar data revealed that the airplane disappeared from radar coverage approximately 18 miles south of Marco Island, Florida. During the search and rescue debris was located; it consisted of a passenger-briefing card, wheel assembly, seat back, and oxygen bottle, however, the main wreckage was not located. The FAA order 7110.65, "Air Traffic Control," paragraph 2-6-4, "Weather and Chaff Services," states: 2. Issue the level of echo intensity when that information is available.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 340 hours in all; 340 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 485 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 485 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cleghorn Avaition Inc
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: EYW Key West FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from APF, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.