Icon Aircraft INC A5 accident near Destin, Florida, July 26, 2025
On July 26, 2025 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 2021 Icon Aircraft INC A5, registered N594BA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Destin, Florida (Destin Exec airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, and improper in-flight decision making which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2025 · about 5:15 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Destin, Florida · Destin Exec · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Icon Aircraft INC A5, built 2021 · all A5s on the register
- Registration
- N594BA · registry record · serial 00134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed for a planned 1 hour flight with 8 gallons of fuel indicated on the fuel gauges, and that the airplane’s fuel consumption averaged 4 gallons per hour. About 1 hour into the flight, and approximately 10 miles from the destination, the engine began to sputter, followed shortly thereafter by a total loss of engine power. The pilot informed air traffic control that he was running out of fuel and made a forced landing in the water about 1 mile short of his destination, which resulted in substantial damage to airplane’s hull and engine pylon. The amphibious airplane was capable of water operations; however, the pilot did not hold a seaplane rating. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and attributed the loss of engine power to fuel exhaustion.
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
- Hard landing during landing
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 234 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 332.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 6, 2025; 132 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,510 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912ISC (piston); 332 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JKA Gulf Shores AL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: DTS Destin FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 5,001 ft by 32 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 3015.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:57 pm from DTS
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDTS 261753Z 16007KT 10SM CLR 31/26 A3015
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Photograph of Accident Airplane
Photograph 2 – Accident Scene with Airplane in the Water
Photograph 3 – Cracking Damage to Engine Pylon
Photograph 4 – Close up of Damage to Engine PylonThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 22, 2026. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot, FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N594BA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Icon Aircraft Inc A5 202 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rotax 912ISC 69 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Destin Executive · nearest airport
- Gulf Shores Intl/Jack Edwards Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,708 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA25LA382.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.