Douglas DC3 accident near Boca Raton, Florida, September 18, 1984
On September 18, 1984 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Douglas DC3, registered N143D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida (Boca Raton Fl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 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
- September 18, 1984 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Boca Raton, Florida · Boca Raton Fl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC3 · all DC3s on the register
- Registration
- N143D · registry record · serial 2054
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOUR HOURS AND FORTY MINS AFTER TAKEOFF APRX 6 MILES FROM THE DEST APRT, BOTH ENGS STOPPED RUNNING. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENGS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THINKING THEY WERE OUT OF FUEL, THE CREW ACCOMPLISHED A FORCED LANDING IN A WILDLIFE REFUGE IN 10 FT TALL SAWGRASS. AS THE ACFT DECELERATED THE LEFT ENG STRUCK A SUBMERGED STUMP SEPARATING THE ENG FROM THE WING. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE ALL THREE FUEL TANKS, 200 GAL CAPACITY EACH, WERE FILLED. UPON RECOVERY THE RIGHT MAIN AND AUX TANK WERE EMPTY BUT 150 GALS REMAINED IN THE LEFT TANK. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS IN THE ACFT FUEL SYSTEM.
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: 4,000 hours in all; 650 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45,612 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 12, 1984; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,900 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 1830 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Academy Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HVS Huntsville AL at 8:00 am
- Destination: BCT Boca Raton FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:49 pm from PBI, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.