Cessna 182P accident near Highland Beach, Florida, August 20, 1987
On August 20, 1987 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1591M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Highland Beach, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- August 20, 1987 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Highland Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1591M · no longer on the register · serial 18264381
- 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 THEY WERE AT 1000 FT APRX 2 MILES OFF SHORE EN ROUTE TO PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER & THEY DITCHED THE ACFT IN THE OCEAN ABOUT 40 FT OFF THE BEACH. THE SALVAGE PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE LEFT WING CONTAINED APRX 10 -15 GALLONS OF FUEL & THE RIGHT WING CONTAINED ABOUT 5-10 GALLONS OF FUEL AT THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE & FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST A PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE ACFT WAS OPERATING AT A TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT THAT IN REFERENCE TO PERFORMANCE CHARTS IS CONDUCIVE TO VISIBLE CARBURETOR ICING AT GLIDE AND CRUISE POWER.
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: 530 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,444 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EYW Key West FL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from PBI, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.