Cessna 337G accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, May 28, 1985
On May 28, 1985 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 337G, registered N53633, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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
- May 28, 1985 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337G · all 337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N53633 · no longer on the register · serial 33701744
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE PRACTICING AN ACTUAL SINGLE ENG LANDING, HE FORGOT TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR. HE HEARD THE GEAR WARNING HORN BUT SAID THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS HIS RADAR ALIMETER SOUNDING. HE ADMITTED THAT ACTUAL SINGLE ENG LANDINGS SHOULD NOT BE PERFORMED AT LOW ALTITUDE OR IN THE ARPT TRAFFIC PATTERN, BUT SHOULD BE SIMULATED BY THROTTLING AN ENG BACK.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 5,062 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 49,781 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 1985; 502 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 3,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DAB, 10 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.