Cessna 402C accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 9, 1983
On March 9, 1983 at about 5:46 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N26506, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1983 · about 5:46 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N26506 · no longer on the register · serial 402CO340
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FOLLOWING ENGINE FAILURE. THE PILOT ESTAMATED FUEL ON BOARD DURING PRE-FLIGHTFROM THE ELECTRONIC FUEL GAUGES. THE ACFT FLEW 2 HRS AND 16 MINUTES BEFORE THE ENGINES QUIT IN A MODE OF FUEL EXHAUSTIONWITH SURGING PRIOR TO STOPPING. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION USING FUEL SLIPS REVEALED A FUEL BURN WITHIN 10 TO 15 GALS OF FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE FUEL GAUGES FAILED ON THE LAST LEG OF THE FLT AND THE PASSENGERS STATED THE PILOT PAID A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THESE GAUGES. THE PILOT WANTED TO DIVERT TO FREEPORT BUT DID NOT BECAUSE THE WEATHER WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. AFTER DITCHING THE ACFT SANK IN 800 FEET OF WATER.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,999 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 2,591 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,051 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 8, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,885 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Coach Aviation Int'L.
The flight
- Departed from: MYAT Treasure Cay at 11:40 am
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from FLL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.