Cessna 336 accident near Vero Beach, Florida, December 17, 1986
On December 17, 1986, a Cessna 336, registered N1SN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida (Vero Beach Municipal 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
- December 17, 1986
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · Vero Beach Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 336 · all 336s on the register
- Registration
- N1SN · no longer on the register · serial 336-0085
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED THE REAR ENGINE FAILED WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AND WHILE MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING HE APPROACHED THE RUNWAY TOO FAST. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY AND WHEN IT COULD NOT BE STOPPED THE AIRCRAFT WAS VEERED TO THE LEFT WHERE IT NOSED OVER. POST CRASH INSPECTION OF THE REAR ENGINE BY THE FAA REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE REAR ENGINE PROPELLER WAS NOT IN THE FEATHERED POSITION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION BY THE FAA.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 301 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,896 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC at 9:45 pm
- Destination: FLL Ft.Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 4,975 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.