Cessna P337H accident near Leesburg, Florida, March 22, 1985
On March 22, 1985 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna P337H, registered N4EY, was destroyed in an accident near Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg Muni airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 22, 1985 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Florida · Leesburg Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P337H · all P337Hs on the register
- Registration
- N4EY · no longer on the register · serial P3370320
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON THE MORNING OF 3/22/85, THE PLT ARRIVED AT THE LEESBURG MUNI ARPT TO PICK UP AN ACFT THAT HAD BEEN PAINTED. APRX 4 WEEKS EARLIER, THE ACFT HAD BEEN FERRIED THERE FOR THE PAINT JOB. THE PLT SAID THAT DURING TAKEOFF, BOTH ENGS LOST POWER AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL & HE TRIED TO TURN BACK TO THE ARPT. SEVERAL WITNESSES SAID THAT THEY SAW THE ACFT TURNING IN A NOSE HI ATTITUDE, THEN IT SPUN INTO TREES. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN A STEEP DESCENT WHEN IT CRASHED. WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FRONT & REAR GASCOLATORS & FUEL INJECTION MANIFOLD VALVES. BOTH OUTBOARD SCUPPER DRAINS WERE CLOGGED WITH DIRT. ALSO, BOTH FUEL CAPS WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE & WOULD ALLOW WATER TO LEAK INTO THE TANKS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 2,600 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 802 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1985; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MLB Melbourne FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,984 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from ORL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.