Cessna 337E accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 8, 1987
On May 8, 1987 at about 10:05 pm local time, a Cessna 337E, registered N1253M, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 8, 1987 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337E · all 337Es on the register
- Registration
- N1253M · no longer on the register · serial 33701253
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT DURING THE BASE LEG WITH 2/3 FLAPS LOWERED THE ACFT ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED LEFT BANK. CONTROL WAS PARTIALLY REGAINED, HOWEVER, THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A SPIN TO THE LEFT. CONTROL WAS NOT ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE OCEAN WHERE IT RESTS IN APRX 23 FEET OF WATER. THE ACFT HAS NOT BEEN RECOVERED THEREFORE NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF CONTROL DESCRIBED BY THE PLT.
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: 312 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,575 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1987; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSE Ponce PR at 9:29 pm
- Destination: SIG San Juan PR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:19 pm from SJU, 12 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.