Cessna 411A accident near Merritt Island, Florida, February 9, 1985
On February 9, 1985 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 411A, registered N222CW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merritt Island, Florida (Merritt Island airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- February 9, 1985 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Merritt Island, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 411A · all 411As on the register
- Registration
- N222CW · no longer on the register · serial 411-0257
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE CFI ON BOARD, ROTATION WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT 110 KTS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE NOSE OF THE ACFT BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT AND THE ACFT BEGAN SETTLING TO THE RWY. THE CFI CALLED FOR GEAR UP AND THE ACFT SETTLED TO THE RWY ON ITS BELLY IN THE OVERRUN AREA OF THE RWY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 4,400 as pilot in command; 380 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sisk Aircraft Sales,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: COI Merrit Island FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from TIX, 12 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.