Cessna 172G accident near Caribbean Sea, June 13, 1987
On June 13, 1987 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N4346W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caribbean Sea. It was a personal flight 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
- June 13, 1987 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Caribbean Sea
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4346W · no longer on the register · serial 17254417
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE FLYING FROM SAINT LUCIA TO SAINT VINCENT AFTER HE INCORRECTLY SELECTED THE WRONG STATION WHEN NAVIGATING USING THE ADF. HE CONTACTED ATC WHO ADVISED HIM TO CLIMB & WAS ADVISED THAT THE FLT WAS APRX 20 MILES WEST OF SAINT VINCENT. THE ENG THEN QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION & THE ACFT WAS DITCHED NEXT TO A VESSEL.
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: 132 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 97 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1987; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STX St. Croix at 1:30 pm
- Destination: MKSV St. Vincent CB
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from STX, 301 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.