Cessna 172 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, August 18, 2022
On August 18, 2022 at about 10:15 am local time, a 1956 Cessna 172, registered N6713A, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Atlantic Ocean, AO (Pompano Beach Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2022 · about 10:15 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO · Pompano Beach Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172, built 1956 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6713A · no longer on the register · serial 28813
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, they received a notification of a downed aircraft 15 nautical miles east from Pompano Beach, Florida. They responded to the location and confirmed, debris of an airplane and a deceased occupant. The Coast Guard then received a call from the wife of the pilot regarding a note that she received expressing possible suicidal intentions. She described her spouse and the airplane, which matched the recovered debris and the occupant. The wreckage of the airplane was not otherwise recovered, and the airplane was presumed destroyed. A review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) flight track data showed that the airplane departed from Pompano Beach Airpark, Pompano Beach, Florida, before flying northwest for about 10 nautical miles. The airplane then began circling before heading west towards the Atlantic Ocean. While over the ocean, the airplane made a turn to the north before radar/ADS-B contact was lost. Following a death investigation, the Office of Medical Examiner, Palm Beach County classified the manner of death as a suicide.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,800 hours in all; 525 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Jd Schools LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: PMP Pompano FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KPBI, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPBI 181453Z 25008KT 10SM SCT032 SCT250 31/23 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP153 T03110233 51009
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 11, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coast Guard Case Report | PDF, 17 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Autopsy Report Review | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Plot of Airplane's ADS-B Flight Track | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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.