Piper PA-31-350 accident near Key West, Florida, January 17, 1985
On January 17, 1985 at about 7:05 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N70CZ, was destroyed in an accident near Key West, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 17, 1985 · about 7:05 am local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N70CZ · registry record · serial 31-7952169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE OCEAN SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF ON AN UNAUTORIZED FLT. THE PLT WAS A STUDENT PLT WHO WORKED AS A REFUELER OF ACFT. THE STUDENT PLT TOOK THE UNATTENDED PARKED ACFT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND WENT FOR A SOLO FLT AT SOMETIME AROUND 0200 HRS. THE FLT ENDED ALMOST AS SOON AS IT BEGAN AS THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE OCEAN 300 YARDS OFFSHORE FROM KEY WEST, FL. THE ACFT SANK IN 10 FT 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: student
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,256 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 5, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EYW Key West FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 am from EYW, 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.