Commander 114-B accident near Venice, Florida, March 31, 2005
On March 31, 2005 at about 2:35 am local time, a Commander 114-B, registered N60204, was destroyed in an accident near Venice, Florida (Venice Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's in-flight loss of control during takeoff/initial climb over the water at night due to spatial disorientation. A related factor was the night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2005 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Venice, Florida · Venice Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Commander 114-B
- Registration
- N60204 · no longer on the register · serial 14602
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of the departure end of runway 22, at the Venice Municipal Airport, Venice, Florida, in night visual meteorological conditions. During initial climb as the airplane took off and flew over the water, several witnesses were in the vicinity of a pier near a restaurant. The witnesses said they could hear the engine operating overhead, and that the airplane banked, and descended rapidly impacting the water with the engine operating. One of the witness on the pier at the restaurant stated that when the airplane was taking off from the departure end of runway 22, the sound of the engine drew his attention. He said that the engine was "sputtering, popping, and missing," and momentarily went to full power just prior to the airplane impacting the water. Sections of the airplane were later recovered, to include a section from the baggage compartment aft to the tail, the left and right horizontal stabilizer, the rudder, the right spar, the fuselage cabin belly along with the instrument panel, engine and propeller, and the right wing bladder. All sections of the airplane had incurred damage consistent with the impact and with salvage efforts, and when examined, no evidence of preaccident anomalies were noted. The pilot possessed an FAA private pilot certificate, with an airplane single-engine land rating, and according to his logbooks he had accumulated about 258.1 hours total time, 122.9 hours as pilot-in-command, 50.1 hours of simulated instrument total time, and 5.7 hours of night flight experience. A flight instructor with whom the pilot had recently trained revealed that the pilot had accumulated an additional 34.4 hours instrument flight training not recorded in his logbook. FAA records did not show that the pilot possessed an instrument rating.
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: 258 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 123 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,077 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2005; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,260 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-T4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNC Venice FL at 2:35 am
- Destination: SRQ Sarasota FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:41 am from VNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.