Britten-Norman BN-2A-27 incident near Miami, Florida, May 2, 1985
On May 2, 1985 at about 8:50 am local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2A-27, registered N48VM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 incident. 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
- May 2, 1985 · about 8:50 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2A-27 · all BN-2A-27s on the register
- Registration
- N48VM · registry record · serial 750
- Damage
- Minor damage
- 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 HAD A TOTAL OF 75 GALS OF FUEL ON BOARD FOR THE ROUND TRIP FROM MIAMI TO ORLANDO & RETURN. THE PLT STATED THAT THE FLIGHT NORMALLY REQUIRED 3 FLT HRS & FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS 25 GPH. THE ACFT WAS RETURNING TO MIAMI WHEN BOTH ENGS QUIT. THE PLT MADE A NIGHT FORCED LANDING 1 MI NW OF HIS DESTINATION, MIAMI INTL ARPT. THE PLT STATED THE CASUE OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO POOR PREFLT PLANNING ON HIS PART.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,005 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 905 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 1985; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,600 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 12, 9,601 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:12 am from MIA, 1 miles away
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.